Since 1935, members of Puget Sound Pilots have built an extraordinary record of protecting the safety of passengers, crew, cargo and the environment in Puget Sound waters.

More than 8,000 times a year, pilots board vessels entering or leaving Puget Sound. They guide container ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers and cruise ships into and out of harbors, estuaries, straits, sounds, rivers, lakes and bays in our area. They utilize their knowledge of local weather, tides, and currents to avoid other commercial and private marine traffic, reefs, shoals and other hazards.

Sixty-five percent of these jobs are performed at night, adding to the difficulty. Ship traffic is completely indifferent to the time of day or the day of the week. For every ship we see go by during the day, two go by in the middle of the night while the rest of the world sleeps.

Despite these challenges, Puget Sound pilots have completed more than 165,000 transits over the last twenty years without a major incident.

In addition, Puget Sound Pilots work proactively throughout the year with regulators, ports, mariners, citizen groups and the maritime industry to identify and implement safety improvements in piloting, regulations, and public policy.  In the wake of the 2007 Cosco Busan collision in San Francisco, Puget Sound Pilots conducted a comprehensive audit pf pilotage practices in Puget  Sound.  Many of our recommendations have already been implemented, and we continue to work with interested parties throughout the region to improve safety on Puget Sound waters.