- Source: Competent harbour authority
Competent harbour authorities (CHA) in the United Kingdom are those harbour authorities that have been given statutory powers relating to the provision of pilotage in their waters. The description was created by the Pilotage Act 1987, at which point a CHA had to be one whose harbour was wholly or partly within a pilotage district where at least one act of pilotage had been performed, or where a pilotage exemption certificate had been in force, between 1984 and 1987. However, the act provided a procedure by which other harbour authorities could be assigned CHA status and some harbours have taken advantage of this process. The Marine Navigation Act 2013 amended the Pilotage Act to provide a reverse process, so that harbour authorities could be relieved of CHA status.
Statutory harbour authorities
A statutory harbour authority (SHA) is a different designation which permits harbours to charge dues and remove wrecks, as well as conferring the responsibility to maintain buoys and lighthouses within the area of the harbour. Statutory harbour authorities are regulated under the Harbours Act 1964.
All competent harbour authorities are also statutory harbour authorities.
List of competent harbour authorities
The following are those harbour authorities that are currently identified as CHAs:
= England and Wales
=Anglesey Borough Council (Amlwch)
Associated British Ports:
Barrow
Barry
Cardiff
Fleetwood
Garston
Humber, Goole and Trent
King's Lynn
Lowestoft
Newport
Plymouth
Port Talbot
Silloth
Southampton
Swansea
Berwick Harbour Commissioners
Blyth Harbour Commissioners
Boston Borough Council (joint arrangement with Fosdyke)
Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners
Brighton Marina Company
Bristol City Docks
Bristol Port Company
Broads Authority
Caernarvon Harbour Trust
Canterbury City Council (Whitstable)
Carrick District Council (Falmouth)
Carmarthenshire Council (Llanelli)
Cattewater Harbour Commissioners (Plymouth)
Chichester Harbour Conservancy
Colchester Borough Council (Colne)
Cowes Harbour Commissioners
Crouch Harbour Authority
Cumbria County Council (Workington)
Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority
Duchy of Cornwall (Scilly Isles)
Dover Harbour Board
Dwyfor District Council (Portmadoc)
Environment Agency (Rye)
Exeter City Council and Exmouth Dock Company (joint arrangement)
Falmouth Dock Company
Falmouth Harbour Commissioners
Felixstowe Dock & Railway Company
Port of Fosdyke (joint arrangement with Boston)
Fowey Harbour Commissioners
Gloucester Harbour Trustees
Great Yarmouth Port Authority
Harwich Haven Authority
Isle of Wight Council (Newport)
Ipswich Port Authority
King's Lynn Conservancy Board
Lancaster Port Commission
Langstone Harbour Board
Littlehampton Harbour Board
Port of London Authority
Looe Harbour Commissioners
Lymington Harbour Commissioners
Maldon Harbour Commissioners
Manchester Ship Canal Company
Maryport Harbour Authority
Medway Ports Authority
Mersey Docks & Harbour Company
Milford Haven Port Authority
Mostyn Docks Limited
Mousehole Harbour Authority
Neath Harbour Commissioners
Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners
Newport Harbour Commissioners
Padstow Harbour Commissioners
Penwith District Council
Poole Harbour Commissioners
Portland Port Limited
City of Portsmouth
Porthleven Harbour & Dock Company
Sandwich Port & Haven Commissioners
Scarborough Borough Council (Scarborough & Whitby) (until 10 May 2021)
Seaham Harbour Dock Company
Sedgemoor District Council (Bridgwater)
Shoreham Port Authority
Stena Harbours:
Fishguard
Folkestone
Harwich Parkeston Quay
Hairy's Harbour
Heysham
Holyhead
Newhaven
Sutton Bridge (under Wisbech Harbour Authority Nene Ports)
Port of Sunderland Authority
Tees & Hartlepool Port Authority
Teignmouth Harbour Commissioners
Teignmouth Quay Company (subsidiary of Associated British Ports)
Thanet District Council (Ramsgate)
Torbay Borough Council (Brixham)
Torridge District Council (Bideford)
Port of Tyne Authority
Warkworth Harbour Commissioners
Waveney District Council (Southwold)
Wells Harbour Commissioners
West Dorset District Council (Bridport)
West Somerset District Council (Watchet)
Weymouth & Portland Borough Council
Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners
Worthing Borough Council
Wisbech Harbour Authority (Nene Ports)
Yorkshire Ouse (British Waterways)
Former competent harbour authorities
Yarmouth Harbour Commissioners was a CHA until 2015 when its pilotage functions were revoked.
Scarborough Borough Council was a CHA until 10 May 2021 when its pilotage functions were revoked.
= Scotland
=Associated British Ports:
Ayr
Troon
Aberdeen Harbour Board
Clyde Port Authority
Cromarty Firth Port Authority
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dundee Port Authority
Forth Ports Authority
Fraserburgh Harbour Commissioners
Inverness Harbour Trust
Irvine Harbour Company
Lerwick Harbour Trust
Montrose Harbour Trust
Moray Council (Buckie & Burghead)
Orkney Islands Council
Peterhead Bay Authority and Trustees of the Harbour of Peterhead (joint arrangement)
Shetland Islands Council (Sullom Voe & Scalloway)
Stornoway Pier & Harbour Commission
Strathclyde Regional Council (Rothesay)
Wick Harbour Trust
= Northern Ireland
=Belfast Harbour Commissioners
Coleraine Harbour Commissioners
Londonderry Port & Harbour Commissioners
Warrenpoint Harbour Authority
Carlingford Lough Commissioners
References
"Review of the Pilotage Act 1987" (DETR, 1998) - Appendix C: List of competent harbour authorities