Qualifications
One of the responsibilities
of the associations is to choose apprentices from the list of applicants
supplied by the Board of Commissioners. Along with numerous Coast
Guard licenses, stricter rules require applicants for an apprenticeship
to now have a college degree. Most now are maritime college graduates.
After graduation from a maritime college, candidates to be Crescent
River Port Pilots must spend at least 18 months working on the Mississippi
River to earn a First Class Pilot’s license and a Limited Master’s
license from the Coast Guard. Those without a degree from a maritime
college must work on the Mississippi for at least six years to obtain
these licenses.
Apprentices for the Crescent River Port Pilots must train with a
licensed Crescent Pilot, making no fewer than 18 trips per month,
nearly 500 ship movements per year, on the Mississippi between Pilottown
and New Orleans. Once the apprenticeship, examinations and required
simulations are completed, the board then certifies the pilot for
commission and asks the governor to officially appoint the pilot. |
