Art. 11 - Pilotage:

A - General :

All vessels entering or leaving Canal Waters, must take a pilot (Pilotage is compulsory). However, the SCA reserves the right to assign a tug master on board vessels under 1 500 tons Gross, and under 800 tons Gross a coxswain, instead of a pilot.
Navy ships and vessels carrying dangerous cargo must have a pilot regardless of their tonnage.
Road pilots on board vessels arriving from sea shall hand over to the Master, the Declaration of State of Navigability and the Pilotage Form.

Masters are held solely responsible for all damage or accidents of whatever kind resulting from the navigation or handling of their vessels directly or indirectly by day or night.

The pilot must inform the Movement Control Office or the Port Office immediately by W/T, R. TELEX, Inmarsat and/or V.H.F. or U.H.F. if his advice regarding the safety of navigation is not accepted or not respected by the vessel