BALTIMORE — Fallout continues after an investigative report revealed the pilot of the Ever Forward ship used his phone leading up to its month-long grounding in the Chesapeake Bay.
On Friday the Board of Pilots of the Maryland Department of Labor unanimously approved a policy change limiting the use of cellular devices while operating a vessel in the state.
The new policy specifically states that ship captains should use a phone to text or email only for navigational, operational, maritime safety, national security, or other professional purposes.
RELATED: Maryland suspends license of ship captain who grounded Ever Forward on the Chesapeake
Also the board mandated all general forms of communication be kept to a minimum when navigating a ship.
The Ever Forward pilot has since had his license suspended in Maryland, while the ship's owner was fined more than $675,000.
