Title 54, Ports and Maritime Matters

No person shall be authorized or permitted to conduct and pilot any vessel, except those excepted in Section 54-15-270, over the bar, into, out of, or within the harbor of any port, unless the person shall be a then currently licensed pilot and no branch pilot shall be authorized…

All rates and fees for all pilotage services for each port shall be fixed by the Commissioners of Pilotage for the port and the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage shall require the pilots to have printed and made available to all interested parties a published schedule of r…

The South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the Upper Coastal Area shall elect annually from among its body a chairman and a secretary. The officers shall serve until their successors have been duly elected. But no branch or licensed pilot for Georgetown shall be elected or …

(A) On the occasion of any marine disaster or if the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage having jurisdiction has reason to believe that a pilot has violated a provision of this chapter or a regulation promulgated under this chapter or if a person files a written complaint wi…

(A) The results of an investigation must be presented to the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage having jurisdiction. The commissioners, in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act, may take disciplinary action authorized by Section 40-1-120. The commissioners may d…

(A) Upon a determination by the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the respective area that one or more of the grounds for discipline exists, the Commissioners of Pilotage having jurisdiction may: (1) issue a public reprimand; (2) impose a fine not to exceed five hundre…

A person aggrieved by a final action of the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the respective area may appeal the decision to the Administrative Law Court in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act and the rules of the Administrative Law Court. Service of a pe…

(A) In an order issued in resolution of a disciplinary proceeding before the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage having jurisdiction, a pilot found in violation of this chapter may be directed to pay a sum not to exceed the reasonable costs of investigation, inspection, and …

A licensed ship's pilot is not liable for damages in excess of five thousand dollars for damages or loss occasioned by the pilot's errors, omissions, fault, or neglect in the performance of pilotage services, except for wilful misconduct or reckless disregard for safety by the pi…

When a pilot boards a vessel he becomes a servant of the vessel and its owner and operator. Nothing in this chapter exempts the vessel, its owner, or operator from liability for damage or loss occasioned by the ship to a person or property on the ground that the ship was piloted …

There is created the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the Lower Coastal Area composed of eight members, one of whom is the Chairman of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, ex officio, or a board member designated by the chairman, one of whom is the president of t…

The South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the Upper Coastal Area and surrounding jurisdiction shall organize a board of examination to consist of three nautical men, at least one of whom shall be a full branch pilot of the port to which they belong. Each such board shall e…

(A) The South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the Lower Coastal Area and surrounding jurisdiction shall organize a board of examiners for the commission of three nautical men, at least one of whom must be licensed for the port under Sections 54-15-120 and 54-15-130. No one…

The Commissioners of Pilotage for each area shall set by regulation a fee calculated to defray the expenses of examination, licensing, and issuing any certification under Chapter 15 of Title 54.

Apprentices for the Upper Coastal Area must be taken by full branch pilots only with the approval of the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage Upper Coastal Area and shall serve two years in Georgetown before receiving an initial short branch license. An apprentice must be tak…

This chapter may be cited as the "South Carolina Maritime Security Act".

As used in this chapter: (1) "Commission" means the group of individuals comprising the Maritime Security Commission. (2) "Captain of the Port" means the United States Coast Guard officer designated by the Commandant of the Coast Guard to perform that function pursuant to Section…

There is created a Maritime Security Commission composed of nine members: (1) one member shall be the Chairman of the State Ports Authority, ex-officio, or a member of the State Ports Authority Board, designated by the chairman; (2) one member shall be a chief of police or equiva…

The South Carolina Naval Militia is reestablished. The Maritime Security Commission must organize, administer, coordinate, and facilitate the activities of the Naval Militia in order to provide to federal, state, county, and local agencies adequate numbers of trained and qualifie…

(A) The Naval Militia is an organized, structured, trained, and certified volunteer state maritime force that is regionally aligned to enable appropriate augmentation of federal, state, county, and municipal forces and may be engaged in any federal response to the threat of terro…

The Maritime Security Commission and the Naval Militia must coordinate their activities with federal, state, and local agencies responsible for maritime homeland security and Naval Militia functions as they relate to this title. These agencies shall include, but are not limited t…

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is authorized to promulgate regulations not specifically authorized by the federal government or by another agency, department, or division of state government, which are necessary for the proper administration and enforcement of homela…