Clause 99

Subject to the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, any person who, not being an Authority pilot, engages in any pilotage act or attempts to obtain employment as a pilot of a vessel entering or being within any pilotage district shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars.

The owner of any private wharf may, with the approval of the Authority and subject to such conditions as the Authority may impose, authorise any person to act as a berthing master for the purposes of berthing and unberthing vessels at such private wharf.

Any master or owner of a vessel entering or being within any pilotage district who knowingly employs as pilot any person who is not an Authority pilot or who is not authorised in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars.

For the purposes of this section, an Authority pilot, acting beyond the limits for which he is licensed or in contravention of any conditions imposed under the provisions of section 78 of this Ordinance, shall be deemed not to be an Authority pilot.

Any person may, without subjecting himself or his employer to any penalty, act as the pilot of a vessel entering or leaving any pilotage district, when such vessel is in distress or under circumstances making it necessary for the master to avail himself of the best assistance which can be found at the time.