Pilotage tariffs decrease in 2015

From January 1, 2015, the tariffs that Dutch pilots are allowed to charge shipping companies when guiding ships in and out of port will decrease by almost 2 percent compared with 2014. This was announced by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) today.

“This decrease in the tariffs for 2015 is possible because more vessel passages are projected based on recent global trade forecasts of the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis,’ explains Henk Don, Member of the Board of ACM.

“The more vessel passages that are made, the lower the tariffs can go. That is because the fixed costs of the pilots, such as for buildings and ships, can be spread over more vessel passages. In addition, the tariff surcharge for financing the pre-pensions scheme was lowered. That, too, is reflected in the tariffs.”

Maritime pilots enjoy a monopoly position, which means ACM as independent regulator must assess whether or not they charge unreasonably high tariffs. ACM annually sets the pilotage tariffs, in accordance with the 2008 Registered Pilots Oversight Act. The Dutch Pilots’ Corporation NLc submits a tariff proposal halfway through the year, which ACM then assesses. ACM may deviate from NLc’s proposal if it believes that the proposal is insufficient to facilitate the pilots operating properly and efficiently.