New policy limits cell phone use while navigating vessels in Maryland
BALTIMORE -- The Board of Pilots of the Maryland Department of Labor has unanimously approved a policy change that limits a navigator's use of cellular devices while operating a vessel in Maryland.
The board outlined the policy in a statement it shared with WJZ.
"The Board of Pilots of the Maryland Department of Labor ('the Board') is aware of the potential risks associated with the inappropriate use of cellular telephones and other devices ('cellular devices') in the marine environment and therefore announces the following policy regarding the non-operational use of cellular devices by licensed pilots while providing pilotage to vessels underway on the navigable waters of the State of Maryland," the statement said.
Navigators will be required to solely "communicate by cellular telephone, text, or email" for purposes involving navigational, operational, maritime safety, and national security.
The policy stipulates that navigators must keep all cellular communication to a minimum, both in quantity and duration while steering a boat through Maryland's waters.
Additionally, anyone who is steering a vessel in Maryland must "avoid all other possible distractions while having the conn of a vessel."
The announcement comes after the Ever Forward, a 1,095-foot container ship headed from the Port of Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia, ran aground in March.
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Maryland Department of the Environment had to work together to refloat the ship and free it from the Chesapeake Bay.