European Maritime Pilots' Association

Mission & Goals

EMPA is a non-profit organisation, created in 1963 by pilots of the then newborn European community. Nowadays it regroups member countries associations of maritime pilots from the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Pilotage is a mandatory public service, strictly regulated by the States, related to maritime safety and protection of the environment. The task of the pilot is to assist captains of vessels in ports and their approaches by bringing them not only knowledge of local maritime conditions and operational practices but also their daily extensive experience of navigating ships in restricted waters. Thus they optimize in an efficient way, the traffic flow and the operation of port facilities while ensuring the control of risks inherent in sailing ships in sensitive coastal areas. EMPA represents approx. 4500 maritime pilots from 24 European countries, including Georgia, Montenegro, Norway, Türkiye, the UK and Ukraine.