The United Nations recommends that large vessels navigating Denmark’s narrow, shallow and heavily trafficked waters at the entrance to the Baltic should have a pilot on board – but many shun the call.

Despite their deep draughts, some 165 vessels navigated the Danish straits in 2011 without a pilot, and so far this year 117 have avoided taking a pilot on board.

“It’s wrong. These ships and shipping companies run a major risk of an accident that can end up causing extensive damage to Denmark’s environment and economy,” says Trade Minister Ole Sohn.

DOCUMENTATION: See just how many vessels are in Danish waters right now

Denmark’s National Pilot Service registers all vessels sailing through Danish waters without a pilot on board. The lists, which Politiken has obtained, include the world’s second-largest shipping company Mediterranean Shipping Company of Switzerland, Germany’s largest shipping company Oldendorff and the state-owned Chinese giants Cosco and China Shipping Group.

“So the smaller and shadier companies are not the only sinners. It’s just not good enough and some even use it as a competitive issue, as most of the shipping companies do pay for pilots,” says Danish Maritime Authority Pilot Inspector Frank Gottlieb.

Gottlieb says that some companies even pay their captains extra to avoid taking on a pilot.

“That’s just too much and shows they have an atrocious attitude to safety,” he adds.

Accident investigations have shown that vessels involved in incidents almost never have pilots on board. According to the Maritime Authority, even a minor incident can cost as much as DKK15million, but companies prefer to save the DKK70,000 it costs to have a pilot on board from Gedser to Skagen.

MSC Scandinavia says that the reason is simple – money.

“It’s too expensive. We choose not to do so simply for financial reasons and we don’t see the need. We have good captains who know the straits well,” says MSC Scandinavia Director Lars Funding.

The channels and straits through Denmark are designated as international waters. Denmark has repeatedly asked the United Nations to introduce mandatory piloting, but Russia – which ships oil from the port of Primorsk NW of St. Petersburg - has blocked any move to do so.

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