Coast Guard Proposes Dropping Six Mariner Training Requirements

The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing to eliminate six training and competency requirements for certain Merchant Mariner Credential endorsements, saying the rules exceed international standards and impose unnecessary costs on American mariners.

The changes are contained in a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register covering endorsements issued under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, or STCW.

The proposal would affect Masters and Officers in Charge of a Navigational Watch serving on vessels of less than 500 gross tons in near-coastal waters, as well as certain engineering officers, Designated Duty Engineers and Electro-technical Ratings serving aboard vessels with propulsion machinery of 750 kilowatts, or 1,000 horsepower, or more.

Under the proposal, the Coast Guard would eliminate leadership and managerial skills training for Masters of vessels under 500 GT operating in near-coastal waters; bridge resource management training and leadership and teamworking competency requirements for certain OICNWs; Engineering Terminology and Shipboard Operations training for OICEWs and DDEs; and Computer Systems and Maintenance and High Voltage Power Systems training for Electro-technical Ratings.

The requirements were added when the Coast Guard implemented the 2010 amendments to the STCW Convention through regulations adopted in 2013. The Coast Guard now says the six requirements are not required under U.S. law or minimum international STCW standards and are unnecessary for the safe operation of the vessels covered by the proposal.

For deck officers serving aboard vessels under 500 GT in near-coastal waters, the Coast Guard said bridge teams generally consist of a single credentialed mariner who may simultaneously serve as OICNW, helmsman and lookout. Because of that limited manning, the agency said additional bridge resource management and team-based leadership requirements provide little safety benefit.

The Coast Guard stressed that the requirements would remain in place for deck officers serving aboard larger vessels of 500 GT or more and those operating on ocean routes, where bridge watch teams typically consist of multiple personnel.

For engineering officers, the Coast Guard said the separate Engineering Terminology and Shipboard Operations course duplicates knowledge already gained through broader engineering training, onboard service and examinations.

The agency offered similar reasoning for eliminating Computer Systems and Maintenance and High Voltage Power Systems training requirements for Electro-technical Ratings, noting that ETRs perform such work under the direct supervision of credentialed officers.

The Coast Guard estimates an average of about 825 mariners per year would benefit from the changes. It calculates approximately $42.8 million in total discounted cost savings over 10 years, primarily from avoided tuition, travel expenses and time spent attending courses. The agency estimates annualized savings of about $6.1 million under its 10-year analysis.

The proposal would also clean up several outdated provisions in the regulations, including a Radar Observer requirement that was inadvertently listed twice and transitional language tied to a January 1, 2017 deadline that has long since passed.

The Coast Guard identified the requirements as part of a broader review of federal regulations under the Trump administration’s deregulatory initiatives.

The proposed rule, “Clarification of Certain Mariner Training Requirements,” was published October 1 under docket USCG-2025-0392. Comments are due December 30, 2026.

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