The emergence of the Lake Area as a major petrochemical and refinery center in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, and the phenomenal growth expected over the next few years, are due to one single factor: the area’s deepwater port.
Photo by Lindsey Janies
The Calcasieu Ship Channel gives ships as large as 160 ft. across and up to over 1,000 ft. long access to the Port of Lake Charles and area industry docks. Without that access, there would be no industry.
And it’s the job of the 17 pilots of the Lake Charles Pilots Assoc. to ensure the safety of the channel, the safe ingress and egress of the ships on that channel, and even the safety of those residents living near the channel.
Pilots meet incoming ships offshore,take the helm (or command) of the ship, and pilot it into and through the channel, weaving the mammoth vessel through the channel. That involves keeping the ship in the proper “lane” in the channel, or at the proper water depth, avoiding grounding; dodging oncoming vessels and maneuvering to pass those ships; communicating with the captains of accompanying tugboats, the ship’s captain (who often cannot speak English), pilots on other ships in the channel, port officials and bridge caretakers — all at once; negotiating the Calcasieu River bridges; and doing it all again on the return trip out to sea.
Not a job for the faint of heart.
From Gulf To Port And Back
“There’s a whole lot going on behind the scenes to move these ships in and get them back out to sea,” says Capt. Brett Palmer, president of the Lake Charles Pilots Assoc.
It begins, he says, in the association’s dispatch room at its headquarters on Ihles Rd. in Lake Charles. The room, manned 24/7, is equipped with several computers, the screens of two of which show all the pertinent data of incoming ships — length, beam (or width), current location, country of origin, etc. — uploaded by shipping agents.
“We receive a ship’s data anywhere from two weeks to two days prior to entering the channel,” says Palmer. “And we get a pretty good picture of each vessel coming in.”
That data, he says, helps dispatchers determine what ships can meet each other coming and going in the channel (depending on size), and what ships can enter the channel at what time. Data can also be searched by ship name.
The other computer runs a non-public program called Port Vision, which allows the dispatch crew (there are four in the Lake Charles office) to see icons of the vessels offshore and in the channel, giving them a real-time picture of where the vessel is in the channel, and of its progress. There are two radios which allow dispatchers to communicate with all of the vessels in the channel and just offshore — up to 50 miles offshore.
A pilot assigned to an incoming ship, says Palmer, takes one of the association’s three boats (76 ft., 63 ft. and 50 ft.), to the incoming ship. Where they meet the ship depends on the ship’s “draft” — how far down into the water the ship’s hull, or body, goes.
“There are three main areas we meet ships at along the channel,” says Palmer. “For a ship with a draft of 40 ft., we’ll meet it 30 miles offshore.”
If the ship has a bit shallower draft, he explains, it will be met further in, in the channel. Ships with still shallower drafts will be met at a point even further north in the channel.
The “pick-up-point” also depends on the captain of the incoming ship, says Palmer.
“If the captain’s completely unfamiliar with the channel, he might request to be picked up offshore, no matter what size the ship is,” he says.
For the pilots, says Palmer, it’s tricky from the very beginning.
“We’ll pull the pilot boat up alongside the ship; the ship lowers a rope ladder; and the pilot grabs the ladder, climbs it, and boards the ship.”
Try that in 5- to 6-ft. swells 30 miles out in the Gulf.
The pilot climbs aboard, armed with what Palmer calls “a $25,000 bag,” a shoulder bag containing a differential GPS (much more accurate, he says, than a regular GPS), a “pilot’s laptop,” an antenna, and an Automated Identification System, which, when plugged in, feeds the ship’s information to the laptop.
Once on board, the pilot must become the ultimate multitasker. Aside from keeping an eye on all the data from all of the equipment he’s brought aboard; and keeping an experienced eye on distances, depths, other ships in the vicinity, and the bridge crew; he must listen to, communicate commands to, and direct all of the many individuals involved in the journey through the channel.
“A pilot has to communicate with the ship’s master and the ship’s mate, direct three or four tugboats, and a lot of other people,” Palmer says. “There’s a lot of multitasking.”
Years Of Training
As you might imagine, this isn’t a position one just applies for and prepares for with an hour-long orientation session. These men and women have to have lots of experience, says Palmer, before they even enter an apprenticeship with the pilots association. It’s a long road full of hard work.
While candidates can apply to the apprentice program after years of practical experience, the easiest path, says pilot Capt. Mike Miller, is completion of a maritime academy program. The Lake Charles Pilots Association has accepted pilots from each of the country’s five maritime academies, but four Lake Charles pilots have completed the bachelor’s degree program in marine transportation at Texas A&M-Galveston.
The graduate then begins his “seagoing career,” as a third mate. In two years, he’s eligible to be promoted to second mate; two years later, to first mate; and, finally, two years later, to master or captain.
Applicants to the association’s apprenticeship program must be 30 years of age, says Palmer, with years of experience in a command position.
“We want someone who’s been in the fire,” he says. “We want someone who has experience and maturity.”
The association’s training program is extensive and intense, says Palmer, involving study in maritime traffic management, marine safety, marine terminology, bridge resource management (working with the bridge management team) and more.
“The training that we do in Lake Charles is as good as anywhere in the nation,” Palmer says.
The program also involves work on a bridge simulator, located in Covington, La., which prepares the user to handle the ship in a variety of situations.
“It gives you experience working with a ship’s bridge,” says Palmer. “And they throw everything at you — 30 knots of wind, rain, fog, loss of ship steering.”
Models of each simulator run are created and printed out to be studied, says Palmer.
Finally, after two years as an apprentice, the candidate receives his pilot’s endorsement on his Coast Guard license.
“The pilot’s endorsement signifies knowledge of local waterways and conditions,” says Palmer.
In fact, he says, the candidate for a pilot’s endorsement must be so familiar with local waterways that he must draw, from memory, an accurate chart of the channel, down to the last navigationalaid, or light.
“There are 132 navigational aids that have to be memorized,” says Palmer. “You not only have to know where they are, but how frequently they flash. There’s a tremendous amount of memorization.”
If a candidate fails to pass his exam on the first try, says Palmer, he’s allowed to take it again. If he fails it a second time, he must wait six months before taking it again.
All of this, says Palmer, takes place around a busy schedule on board ships.
“Apprentices, especially first-year apprentices, don’t get any time off,” says Palmer. “They are required to go out on 300-350 ships in their first year.” 
What’s the most difficult thing facing new pilots?
“Lack of confidence,” Palmer says immediately, adding that he remembers his first time boarding a ship very clearly. “It was a PPG ship,” he says. “And I was scared to death. It took about five years for me to be able to relax and say, ‘you know, I got this.’”
A Pilot’s Life
Pilots work two weeks on, two weeks off, says Palmer; are on 24-hour call while on duty; and can expect to be called out when they’re off duty.
In addition to their work aboard ships, pilots have duties connected to the association.
“Every pilot has a job in the association,” says Palmer. “Eight pilots are assigned to work in the office; at least two work with dispatch to help in traffic control, to help the dispatchers determine how the vessels need to be moved — for example, which ships can meet each other safely in the channel.”
It’s not an easy profession, by any means, and pilots face many dangers and obstacles. Palmer singles out a couple.
“Probably the biggest (hazard) is getting on and off the ship from the pilot boat,” Palmer says. “If a pilot falls from the ladder at night, he has about a one in 10 chance of being found.”
Confidence is another concern.
“You have to be deferential to the ship’s captain and crew, and be kind to them,” says Palmer, “but at the same time you have to have the confidence to demand to be listened to. Pilots have to become very good at telling people what to do.”
Language and cultural barriers are also something pilots must deal with. Roughly 82 percent of the 1,100-plus ships that come through the channel each year are foreign, Palmer says, and, while communication is expected to be in English, it doesn’t always work out that way.
“We use ‘seaspeak’ — universal maritime terms — and that’s adequate most of the time,” says Palmer. “But if a problem comes up, it’s sometimes difficult to make a foreign crew understand you. You have to be very careful, very clear. A lot of times, a foreign crew member will nod ‘yes’ while you’re talking, and they don’t have a clue what you’re saying.”
Pilots are trained to limit conversation with crew members, says Palmer, particularly when it comes to politics.
“But piloting is a longstanding tradition,” he says, “and most crews are experienced in working with pilots.”
Aiding In The Area’s Growth
Part of Palmer’s association duties, he says, is talking with representatives of industries and businesses looking to locate to Lake Charles, giving them an overview of the channel and port, and the pilots association.
“I meet with investors who want to make sure the area has a safe waterway and a good pilots association,” he says.
In fact, Palmer says, “(the pilots association) is usually who (investors) want to talk to first.”
Association representatives also work as part of the area’s harbor safety committee, which includes representatives from all of the area’s channel users.
“The committee works to ensure that current users aren’t going to be impacted by new users,” Palmer says. “And so far, there’s been no impact.” In 2007, for example, when the LNG industry was beginning in the area, says Palmer, there were “15 or 16 LNG ships through the channel, with no impact on other channel users.”
The association is focused on maintaining a good relationship with local industry, says Palmer, and “that relationship has never been better.”
The coming industrial expansion will impact just about every aspect of life in Lake Charles over the next few years, but perhaps the biggest impact will be on the channel and the port.
According to a recently released report commissioned by area officials, traffic on the channel will double, going from just over 1,000 ships per year to over 2,000, by the end of this decade.
In fact, Palmer says, with the expansion, the Port of Lake Charles will go from the 12th busiest in the nation to the fifth.
Thus, one of the main goals of the pilots association for the next year or so is to beef up its staff. “We’re going to have to open the apprentice program to more applicants,” Palmer says.
Luckily, he says, there is “a very good pool of local candidates” who are now in the last stages of their seagoing careers, so the association will have a good number of new apprentices with extensive local knowledge of the area to begin with.
The association also must work with area officials and industry representatives to ensure that the increase in traffic doesn’t impact the plants and businesses already using the channel, and ensure the waterway remains safe.
“It’s just a matter of setting standards, being proactive in training, minimizing risks and mitigating problems,” says Palmer.
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