Legal Definitions - pilot

Definition: A pilot is a person who is in control of a vessel or an airplane.

In maritime law, there are two types of pilots:

1. Compulsory pilot: A ship pilot who is required by law to guide a ship for a specific purpose, such as piloting the ship into a harbor. The ship's owner is not personally liable for any damage caused by the compulsory pilot, but the ship is liable in rem (i.e., the ship itself can be held responsible).
2. Voluntary pilot: A ship pilot who controls a ship with the permission of the vessel's owner. The vessel's owner is personally liable for any damage caused by the voluntary pilot.

For example, if a ship is entering a harbor and a compulsory pilot is guiding it, and the ship collides with another vessel, the ship's owner is not personally liable for the damage caused by the collision. However, the ship itself can be held responsible. On the other hand, if a ship owner hires a voluntary pilot to guide the ship and the ship collides with another vessel, the ship owner is personally liable for the damage caused by the collision.