A strong link in a vital logistics chain

The Federal Crown corporation providing pilotage services on the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers

We are a federal Crown corporation created in 1972 under the name Laurentian Pilotage Authority, pursuant to the Pilotage Act. St. Lawrence Pilotage is the name adopted in 2026.

We are responsible for providing marine pilotage services in the waters of the St. Lawrence River, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Saguenay River.

We manage a compulsory pilotage zone covering an area of over 265 nautical miles between Montreal and Les Escoumins, and 70 nautical miles on the Saguenay River.

We rely on more than 200 contracted pilots and apprentice pilots who board ships to ensure their safe navigation in the challenging waters of the St. Lawrence River. These local navigation experts are grouped into two corporations that are bound to us by service contracts.

About SLP

Request a Pilot

Ships that are subject to compulsory pilotage under regulatory criteria must be under the command of a licensed pilot or a captain holding a pilotage certificate.

In the case of ships not registered in Canada, all ships over 35 metres in length are subject to compulsory pilotage in the three districts. For Canadian-registered ships, this obligation varies according to the size of the ships and the pilotage districts.

Submit a piloting request Make a special piloting request

Mastery and precision to guide every ship

After being assigned to a vessel by our Montreal-based dispatch team, each St. Lawrence pilot is safely and efficiently transferred to it by pilot boat.