FAQ about fees

Vessels subject to a fee must register with SafeSeaNet Norway by the end of the year. They will then be invoiced quarterly.

The following annual fees can be registered:

• Pilotage readiness fee (vessels required to use a pilot)
• Safety fee in Oslofjord (Horten VTS)
• Safety fee in Rogaland (Kvitsøy VTS)

Vessels that mainly sail in waters subject to pilotage in the year in question will automatically be charged an annual pilotage readiness fee for the next year. If these vessels are required to pay a fee to a VTS, they must register for the annual safety fee.

The annual pilotage readiness fee varies according to the size of the vessel, and corresponds to between 36 and 46 calls to port.

Questions about annual fees can be forwarded to:

Nordland Pilot Area Department
PO Box 183
NO-8551 Lødingen
NORWAY

Tel.: (+47) 76 98 68 00
Email: loskontor.nordland@kystverket.no

Questions about fees for individual voyages should be directed to the department cited as a reference on the invoice.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration issues invoices for individual sailings on the basis of registered voyages for vessels that are not required to use the pilotage service, registered voyages for vessels with a Pilotage Exemption Certificate (PEC) that are required to use a pilot, pilotage services completed, issuing/renewing/amending a PEC, completed PEC exam and voyages subject to a fee in the VTS areas.

Annual fees are invoiced based on the annual fees that the customer has registered in the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s monitoring and information system SafeSeaNet Norway, or on the basis that they have mainly been required to use the pilotage service in previous years. The fees to be invoiced for individual voyages are calculated locally and sent out centrally.

Payment is normally due 30 days from the invoice date. Annual fees that are registered just before the end of a fee year or during a fee year will have a shorter payment deadline.

The annual fee (pilotage fees and safety fees) is paid in instalments by the start of each quarter. Vessels subject to fees are responsible for registering the annual fee in the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s monitoring and information system SafeSeaNet well in advance of the voyage.

Vessels can sign up to the annual fee scheme during the fee year, but will not then be exempt from or reimbursed for fees for individual voyages before the payment date. Vessels that sign up to the annual fee scheme during the year may, upon application to the Norwegian Coastal Administration, pay half of the annual fee per remaining and commenced month in the year.

Vessels that have not used the state pilot and who are subject to a pilotage readiness fee must report the voyage in the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s online monitoring and information system SafeSeaNet Norway before the voyage begins. Lack of information about the use of a Pilotage Exemption Certificate on voyages that are subject to pilotage will result in an administration fee.

Vessels subject to pilotage that mainly sail within the border of waters that incur a fee or between Norwegian ports, must pay the pilotage readiness fee in the form of an annual fee. This applies whether the vessel has a pilot on board or not.

Use our fee calculator to calculate how much you need to pay in pilotage fees and safety fees. When you enter key data about a vessel, voyage and safety zones, the calculator will work out how much you need to pay for a specific voyage. The calculator is available in Norwegian and English.

Go to fee calculator

The pilotage fees consist of the pilotage readiness fee, pilotage service fee and Pilotage Exemption Certificate (PEC) fee.

Vessels sailing in Norwegian waters within the baseline must pay a pilotage readiness fee, and vessels using the pilotage service also have to pay a pilotage service fee.

The Pilotage Exemption Certificate (PEC) fee is levied on applicants who sit the practical and theoretical exam needed to obtain a PEC, and when renewing, amending or extending an existing PEC.

The pilotage fees are authorised in the Regulations relating to the pilotage readiness fee, pilotage service fee and PEC fee (pilotage fees).

The safety fee applies to vessels in waters that are monitored by a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) centre. Revenues from the safety fee cover labour costs and operating expenses at the VTS centres at Brevik, Fedje, Horten and Kvitsøy.

The safety fee is authorised in the Regulations on safety fees for the use of VTS centres at Horten, Brevik, Kvitsøy and Fedje, Vestfold and Telemark, Rogaland and Vestland (available here in Norwegian only).

Read more about the safety fee here