Regional Exam Center News

To mitigate the impact caused by the partial lapse in appropriations and shutdown of National Maritime Center (NMC) operations, the following updated actions are being taken:• Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC) (National Endorsements only) and Medical Certificates that expire in December 2018, January 2019, or February 2019 are extended as valid until April 30, 2019. Print letter and carry it with your credential.• Additional Information (AI) letters, sent to mariners that expire in December 2018, January 2019, or February 2019 are extended to April 30, 2019.• Approval to Test (ATT) letters and mariner training course certificates that expire in the months of December 2018…

To mitigate the impact caused by the partial lapse in appropriations and shutdown of National Maritime Center (NMC) operations, the following actions are being taken:Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC) (National Endorsements only) and Medical Certificates that expired in December 2018 or expire in January 2019 are extended as valid until March 31, 2019. Print the attached letter and carry it with your credential.Additional Information (AI) letters, sent to mariners that expired in December 2018 or expire in January 2019 are extended to March 31…

The U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center located in Martinsburg, W.Va., launched a new service that will automatically send e-mail notifications to mariners informing them of their credential application status as it is being processed. "This new automated service will help maintain confidence among mariners that their application is being actively worked by the Coast Guard,” said Capt. David Stalfort, the commanding officer of the National Maritime Center. Mariners who provide an email address when submitting their merchant mariner credential application will receive an e-mail as their application progresses through the application process. The e-mail is automatically generated when an application and moves to the next stage of the process.

Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard, spoke with MarineNews about the merchant mariner credentialing process, TWIC, the new Centers of Expertise and the modernization of the Coast Guard's internal organization. Visit the Commandant's blog at www.uscg.mil/comdt/blog for more of his perspectives on the workings of the Coast Guard. What's the Coast Guard doing to simplify the merchant mariner credentialing process? Merchant mariner credentialing has been the subject of a lot of concern and reforms going back 10 or 15 years, to when I was a field commander.

The U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship Directorate announced March 16 the publication of a final rule consolidating regulations for the issuance of merchant mariner qualification credentials. The changes simplify the existing merchant mariner qualification credentialing process by reducing the number of credentials a mariner will need to hold. The rule also eliminates redundant regulatory burdens and government processes. Mariners who self-identify when applying for Transportation Worker Identification Credentials will no longer need to appear in person at a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center when applying for a new, renewal or upgrade credential. This rulemaking works in tandem with the joint final rule published in Jan.

The Eighth Coast Guard District recently completed Operation Big Tow, a three-month long effort designed as a result of a collision between a cargo vessel and a loaded oil barge on the Mississippi River that spilled more than 282,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil to spill into the river. Operation Big Tow was designed to ensure vessel operators were properly licensed for their respective vessel's size, type and route. An initial investigation into the July 23, 2008 collision that closed nearly 100 miles of river near New Orleans revealed that a crewmember operating the Mel Oliver, an uninspected towing vessel (UTV) pushing the barge was improperly licensed. UTVs are towing vessels 26 ft or longer and must be under the direction of a licensed master.

The Coast Guard Regional Exam Center Puget Sound will host an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony Friday at the Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle. The center provides evaluation, testing and issuance of Licenses, Merchant Marine Documents, Certificates of Registry, or international certificates required by crews serving on U.S. commercial vessels. The open house will run from noon to 4 p.m. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be at 1 p.m.

The New Orleans Regional Examination Center (REC) will move to its permanent facility in Mandeville, La., and is scheduled to open on April 2. The Metairie REC location will close permanently at 3 p.m. on Wednesday to start the move. No telephone or email service to the old REC will be available after Wednesday. The REC's hours of operation in Mandeville will be from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Friday. The office will remain open for "limited services" during the lunch hour. Testing will be conducted during the same hours, but the latest time to start a new exam is 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon on Friday.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard have taken another step toward the implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) by approving proposed regulations for a biometric-based identification credential for port workers. The notice of proposed rulemaking will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days and lays out specific details on the program. The public will have forty-five days to comment and four public meetings will be hosted by TSA and Coast Guard to solicit public input. • TSA would collect worker's biographic information including ten fingerprints; name; date of birth; address and phone number; alien registration number, if applicable; photo; employer; and job title.