The Norwegian Coastal Administration's three pilot dispatch centres are located in Horten, Kvitsøy and Lødingen. The pilot dispatch centres are staffed at any given time with two persons who plan and coordinate each pilotage assignment. The pilot dispatcher monitors assignments from when the pilot booking is received until the pilot has been sent to a new vessel after completion of the assignment.The main duties of the pilot dispatcher are:
- Register and log pilot bookings.
- Plan the allocation of pilots on duty and prioritise assignments.
- Coordinate the transport of pilots to and from vessels, and their return to the station, home or to a new assignment.
- Keep a summary of the active working hours and licence coverage for the individual pilots.
- Provide information and instructions to the pilots and vessels seeking pilots in the pilot dispatch area.
Pilot dispatch maintains an overview at any given time of all the pilots on duty up to 24 hours in advance and allocates assignments based on the pilot bookings, the vessel's deadline for delivering its cargo, and the pilot's licensed areas and working hour provisions.
The pilot dispatchers strive to avoid long waiting periods for a pilot and accommodate the vessel's requirements in the most environmentally safe, efficient and economic manner possible.