Denmark first to launch remote pilotage

With approval from the Danish Emergency Management Agency, DanPilot and Danelec are now initiating a test program for remote pilotage – the first of its kind in the world. 

The test program created by DanPilot and Danelec allows pilots to guide ships from land, using only advanced data transmitted directly from the vessels.

“The approval marks a significant step towards a technological paradigm shift, opening new possibilities for safety, climate action, and operational efficiency in the maritime sector,” DanPilot stated in a release. 

The 18-month remote pilotage program will take place in the Kattegat and the western Baltic Sea. For the first time, it allows pilots to guide selected ships through Danish waters without boarding them physically. Instead, the operation is carried out from a control center in the city of Randers – removing the most hazardous part of a pilot’s job: the physical boarding of ships.
“Remote pilotage makes our work safer and helps reduce both CO₂ emissions and operational costs for our customers. We have worked intensively towards this for six years, and now we can finally test it in practice. It has the potential to become a major paradigm shift in how pilotage is carried out,” said Erik Merkes Nielsen, CEO of DanPilot.