(a) Each foreign and American vessel under register, entering or departing from any port in this state and each vessel transiting the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound shall take a pilot who is licensed under the provisions of section 15-13, or licensed under the laws of any state having concurrent jurisdiction over Long Island Sound. Whenever the services of such a pilot are refused, the master, the owner or the consignee shall pay pilotage as if such pilot had actually been employed. The pilotage authorized to be collected whenever a pilot shall be refused by a vessel may be sued for and recovered in the name of the pilot tendering such service. Such pilotage when recovered, shall belong to and may be retained by such pilot for his own use and benefit.

(b) No person not licensed as a pilot under the provisions of section 15-13 or of the laws of any other state having concurrent jurisdiction over Long Island Sound shall pilot, or offer to pilot any foreign vessel, or any American vessel sailing under register, to or from any port in this state, including any such vessels transiting the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound. No master or person on board any tug or towboat shall tow such a vessel to or from any port in this state including any such vessels transiting the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound, unless such vessel has on board a pilot licensed under the provisions of section 15-13 or licensed under the laws of any other state having concurrent jurisdiction over Long Island Sound.

(c) Any person or any officer or agent of any firm or corporation who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars or more than two thousand dollars, or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or be both fined and imprisoned.

(1949 Rev., S. 4759; 1953, S. 2381d; 1971, P.A. 797, S. 2; P.A. 77-337, S. 1; P.A. 90-274, S. 3; P.A. 12-80, S. 121.)

History: 1971 act amended Subsec. (a) to delete phrase limiting exemption for vessel engaged in coastal trade to those “coming by way of New York”; P.A. 77-337 replaced “vessels engaged in the coastal trade, fishing smacks, vessels engaged in the oyster trade, canal boats, barges and tug boats” with “vessels engaged in fishing, oyster and commercial recreational trade” and increased minimum fine from $250 to $500 and maximum fine from $500 to $1,000 in Subsec. (c); P.A. 90-274 in Subsec. (a) deleted language relating to inward and outward vessels and added language relating to each foreign and American vessel, added provision that the section applies to vessels transiting the waters of Long Island Sound, deleted language exempting fishing, oyster and commercial recreational trade vessels from the section and made various technical changes, in Subsec. (b) allowed pilots to be licensed by a state with concurrent jurisdiction over the waters of Long Island Sound and made various technical changes; P.A. 12-80 amended Subsec. (c) to increase maximum fine from $1,000 to $2,000, decrease maximum term of imprisonment from 60 days to 30 days and make a technical change.