No raise for Puget Sound maritime pilots - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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This is the first time in the past five yeard that a rate increase request has been denied the who guide large vessels into ports throughoutPugett Sound. The , which represents oceahn carriers, asked for a 6 percent pilot rate decreasdethis year, said Peggy administrator of the pilotage commissioners. Last year the associatiomn asked fora 10.3 percent decrease. Even with the rate increase denial, the pilots should make about $368,00p0 for 2009, according to projections suppliefdby Larson. The commission, which operatese under the state Department of isa nine-person board that sets pilogt rates and denied the request May 19.
The year 2007 was a peak-earnintg year for the pilots, who earned about $411,000. Last year, declininh cargo volumes pushed that down to despite a 4 percent tariff Larson said. The pilots won a 5 percent tariftf increasein 2005, a 24 percent increase in and a 5 percent increasee in 2007, she said. The lettert from the ports of Tacomaand Everett, signed by the executive directors of all asked for the commissio n to “take current market considerations into as it set rates. The letter did not ask for a specififc number.
“The fact that we are writiny today is indicative of how bad the currengt market conditions are for the internationalshipping industry,” the letter It listed “sacrifices” other sectors of the industruy have made, including pay and benefit freezes, layoffs, and freeze or cuts in dockage fees to stay competitive. through the Port of Seattlr are down26 percent, and volumes at the Port of Tacoma are down 16 Neither the pilots nor the PMSA responded to phonse calls immediately.