LOCAL reef pilots are in greater demand from shipping companies since the ID Integrity saga in the Coral Sea last month as the industry tries to reduce the risk of a maritime disaster.

Reef pilots want shipping companies to follow the lead of a Chinese industry giant, which is hiring local navigators to safely guide their vessels through Far Northern waters, even when a pilot isn't compulsory.

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Australian Reef Pilots have signed a landmark deal with Chinese company, Swire, to put a pilot on board huge container ships travelling through waters between Darwin and Cairns.

It's the first time the country's oldest and largest pilot provider has signed such a deal with a commercial shipping firm.

"We're seeing a pattern developing and it seems to have accelerated since the ID Integrity," ARP chief executive Simon Meyjes said, referring to the recent incident when a cargo ship almost ran aground on Shark Reef, in the Coral Sea.

Swire and its deep sea shipping division, China Navigation Company, were responsible for a 270 tonne oil spill at Moreton Bay in 2009.

"No ship owner would want to repeat a previous error and that's been the approach of China Nav and Swire," Mr Meyjes said.

Ships are only required to have a pilot on board while travelling the inner route through the Great Barrier Reef. But Mr Meyjes said that area should be expanded.

"I believe there's a very strong argument to cover the entire Great Barrier Reef marine park," he said.

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