Digital pilotage and the need for its appraisal: the case of Denmark

Digital pilotage is pilotage. Certain phases of pilotage service being digitalized, removed or shifted to a different stage of pilotage operation do not change the inherent nature of the service but rather enhances it. However, the adequacy of law to accommodate the digital pilotage operations remains uncertain, and its clarification becomes increasingly significant in light of some recent developments in Denmark, where the world's first remote pilotage test programme has been launched.

The programme only uses advanced data transmitted directly from vessels, ¹ and DanPilot has been successfully running trials since May 2025, ² marking a major step towards maritime digitalisation by enabling pilots to guide ships from land by using real-time data transmitted from the vessels.