Penobscot Bay & River Pilots

Dec 21, 2025

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

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Pilots Call for More Comprehensive Discussion of Elimination of the Piloting Requirement for the CAT Ferry

Recent coverage concerning Rep. Gary Friedmann’s efforts to exclude THE CAT from complying with the state pilotage statute on behalf of Bay Ferries has presented a decidedly one-sided perspective. A more comprehensive discussion of the implications of the proposed legislation should include facts that have been omitted from his recent letter and presentation to the Bar Harbor Town Council.

Rep. Friedmann’s letter to the Bar Harbor Story introduced confusing and irrelevant references that have little or no bearing on the ferry’s operation in Bar Harbor. For example, he repeatedly mentions Portland Pilots, including his pointed closing statement that he will not serve “the narrow money interests of Portland Pilots Inc.” Portland Pilots do not conduct business in Frenchman Bay. There is no overlap or shared jurisdiction between Penobscot Bay & River Pilots operations in Frenchman Bay, and Portland Pilots operations in Casco Bay. They are two separate and distinct companies, with no joint employees or operations.

His reference to an oil spill which occurred in Casco Bay over fifty years ago also seems extraneous. A more relevant and recent illustration of a safety concern is the September, 1998 collision between the predecessor of the current CAT ferry (a similar high-speed catamaran) and a local fishing vessel, which took the life of a fisherman in the port of Yarmouth, N.S. There was no pilot on the ferry at the time, as they were operating under a pilotage exemption.

At the November 18 Bar Harbor Town Council meeting, much attention was focused on the sum that Bay Ferries paid for pilotage service over the course of an entire season. While the inference may have led one to think that a couple of pilots are growing rich off the Nova Scotia taxpayers, a more objective understanding of Maine’s system of pilotage would show otherwise. The total pilotage fee that was cited paid for:

• A portion of the salaries of five state-licensed pilots, as well as health insurance coverage for them and their families
• The salaries of three licensed pilot boat captains and a group of four deckhands, all based on MDI
• Fuel for over two hundred pilot boat runs, purchased on MDI
• Mooring and insurance costs
• Repairs and service from an MDI-based diesel mechanic
• Maintenance and storage costs at a boatyard located on MDI

The feigned umbrage to the pilotage fee displayed at the November town council meeting and in Rep. Friedmann’s letter is ironic coming from advocates for Bay Ferries, as that company refused for years to disclose the “management fee” that this supposedly non-commercial enterprise was charging the good taxpayers of Nova Scotia. Only after the opposition political party sued the provincial government (and won after a two-year court battle) was Bay Ferries compelled to disclose the $1.17 million (Can $) annual fee they were charging for managing THE CAT, including the three consecutive years that the ferry did not operate due to COVID or ferry terminal unavailability (2019,2020,2021). By one account in Canadian media, Bay Ferries has received $217 million dollars (Can $) since 2014.

Advocates for a Bay Ferries pilotage exemption make much of the fact that the current vessel leased for this service is a U.S. Flag vessel, owned by the U.S. Navy, and manned by U.S. mariners. That makes for great speaking points, but it ignores the reality that all leases, not to mention vessels, have a finite life. While previously published information shows the lease extending through 2025, there has been no news regarding a further extension. Whether the lease ends this year, next year, or five years from now, it will end. The economic life of the vessel will end as well. There are no other U.S. flagged high-speed catamarans on the used market. What is the plan for replacing the current vessel, should a suitable U.S. ship not be found? It does not take much imagination to foresee a time in the near future when Bay Ferries might return to their former practice of using a non-U.S. vessel and crew for their service, as they did for over 50 years. This may explain the enthusiasm with which they are now lobbying so hard for an exemption from state pilotage requirements.

Penobscot Bay & River Pilots have always supported the resumption of the important marine link between Maine and Nova Scotia. When the original management team of Bay Ferries discussed resuming service to Bar Harbor, our association worked through the Maine Pilotage Commission (the state commission which regulates matters of pilotage) to craft a reduced pilotage fee for Bay Ferries, in consideration of the fact that the vessel would be a U.S. flagged, U.S. manned vessel on daily service to Bar Harbor. This fee is currently at a level that is 66% less than the pilotage fee paid by the smallest foreign cruise ships that might call on Bar Harbor. Further, the Commission recently agreed to “cap” the training, technology and capital construction surcharge for Bay Ferries at the 2025 level, canceling-out (over the course of their 2026 season) the added $100 per trip that all other vessels calling in Frenchman Bay and Penobscot Bay will be charged starting January 1st. Contrary to the manner in which our organization was characterized at the recent Bar Harbor Town Council meeting and in Rep. Friedmann’s letter, we have shown unprecedented deference to Bay Ferries in order to help them succeed. However, that success should not come at the cost of Maine discarding its constitutional authority to ensure that a state-licensed pilot is on the bridge of every commercial vessel engaged in foreign commerce when in state waters.

David Gelinas, Past President

Penobscot Bay & River Pilots Association