Pay Comparison to other Pilot Groups
The earnings of the Mississippi River pilots are equal or below those of other pilot groups in the region. Ninety-nine percent of the rates and fees collected to pay pilots are paid by foreign interests. NO taxpayer dollars contribute toward those fees.

The Mississippi River pilotage is 260 miles to Baton Rouge. The Executive Summary of Report by Dr. Hochstein shows that pilotage rates/mile in LA are lower than in competing ports. It is also important to note that the Louisiana Pilots operate on a 24-hour basis, 7 days a week. Houston, for example, only accepts oil tankers in daylight hours. They also require two pilots per tanker. In a business where time is money, being able to operate 24/7 is important to industry.

Fees for the Lake Charles Pilots vary based on the size of the ship, the length of journey and if the outer bar is used.

Actual Pilotage Cost Per Mile

In terms of pilotage cost per mile:

• For oil tankers, the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) pilotage rates per mile are significantly lower than similar rates in Houston and Tampa.
  
  
• For chemical tankers, the LMR pilotage per mile rates are lower than for Houston, and in some cases higher than in Tampa.
  
  
• Per mile pilotage rates at LMR are slightly lower than in Houston and close to those in Tampa for grain vessels.
  
  
• For other bulk vessels, per mile pilotage rates are lower at LMR compared to Houston, and about equal to Tampa.
  
  
• Per mile rates for general cargo vessels are significantly lower at LMR compared to both Houston and Tampa.
  
  
• Pilotage rates per mile for container vessels are also significantly lower at LMR compared to Houston and Tampa.

Difference averages in pilotage costs per mile at the three ports are tabulated below. To a large extent, the differences can be explained by specific vessel movements and logistics of operations in the LMR as shown in the following section.

Comparative Assessment of Pilotage Cost in LMR
A comparative analysis of pilotage cost in LMR, and two other ports in the Gulf; the Port of Houston and the Port of Tampa resulted in the following observations:

Effect of pilot fees on commerce
Collectively, the five ports on the Mississippi River handle more tonnage than any other port in the world, and with the addition of the Port of Lake Charles, they far surpass this. Vessels come to ports because of the availability of cargo in quantity, and quality pilotage cost is not a significant factor in deciding to come to a port or not. A competent, safe and efficient pilotage service is a primary consideration.

The low cost per mile of pilotage on the Mississippi River contributes to the port system’s rank as first in the nation, providing $10’s of billions in annual economic impact. The estimated impact of just the Crescent Pilots’ wages is $600 million, while the estimated impact for NOBRA Pilots’ wages is $450 million. The Bar Pilots’ impact of wages is $350 million.

For Lake Charles pilots, the economic impact of the pilot’s wages is $22 million in Calcasieu Parish. Every employee of the Lake Charles Pilots’ Association lives in Calcasieu Parish.