Alaska Marine Pilots, LLC

In 1989, in response to the growing bottom fishing industry in western Alaska, Captain Bob Boyd formed Alaska Marine Pilots (AMP). For the first two years AMP operated as a sole proprietorship under the direction and control of Captain Boyd.

In 1991 the Alaska state legislator revamped Alaska's Marine Pilotage Act and created the Board of Marine Pilots to oversee all state pilotage activities and licensing requirements. With this action the state effectively ended all privately operated and owned pilotage groups in Alaska. The state was divided into three separate pilotage regions, allowing for only one state sanctioned pilotage group in each region. The regions created were; Southeast Alaska, Southwest Alaska, and Western Alaska which become known as region three.

AMP's area of responsibility was defined as follows: beginning west of Kodiak Island, thence to the end of the Aleutians, thence north to die Chukchi Sea, thence east to the Canadian Arctic border.

For almost two decades AMP has successfully provided safe and efficient pilotage services throughout region three's many diverse and challenging environments. During these years the main economic engine in western Alaska has been the commercial fishing industry. As such, the majority of the shipping activities revolve around the seafood industry.

The principal port of western Alaska is Dutch Harbor, also the location of AMP's dispatching services. In addition to the numerous refrigerated cargo ships that visit this port each year (as well as the rest of our region) a wide variety of other vessels call in western Alaska on a regular basis. These ships include container ships, cruise ships, tankers, and bulk carriers, along with many other miscellaneous ships that are in need of a safe harbor.

In addition to the traffic, western Alaska has begun experiencing the arrival of another economic powerhouse: the oil and gas industry.