Apprentices for the Lower Coastal Area are taken only by pilots licensed under §§ 54-15-120 and 54-15-130 for the port and must be approved and certified by the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the Lower Coastal Area. They must not be under eighteen years of age, must be a graduate of an accredited four-year college or shall hold an unlimited ocean third mate’s license, must have 20/20 visual acuity uncorrected or corrected by contact lens, must have good color vision evidenced by ability to distinguish colors by means of a test accepted by the United States Coast Guard, must have good natural hearing, and must have other physical and mental qualifications required by the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the Lower Coastal Area. Satisfactory certificates of the requirements of this section must be filed with the South Carolina Commissioners of Pilotage for the Lower Coastal Area before the applicant may be accepted as an apprentice.