New Software Helps Merchant Mariners Apply For, Maintain and Grow Their U.S. Coast Guard Credentials

Product Highlights: 

• USCG application guidance 
• Store maritime documents
• Calculate sea service for upgrade and renewal 
• Course certificate and MMC expiration tracker   

Washington, D.C., March 15, 2021 — MM-SEAS™ (www.mmseas.com) is the first software that automates the manual task of obtaining, tracking and renewing U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) credentials. MM-SEAS™ eliminates paperwork processing errors and delivers meaningful merchant mariner career guidance. 

“We built this software to serve the 210,000 merchant mariners who contribute over $150 billion in economic output to the US economy by transporting America’s goods and people by sea,” said Nate Gilman, Co-Founder and President of MM-SEAS™. 

Civilian mariners are required to have valid USCG Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC) to be onboard any commercial or federal ship in the United States. Credentialing is a complex and vague process. From 2012 to 2018, 44.9 percent of approximately 500,000 applications submitted to the USCG National Maritime Center were incomplete or missing key documents. 

“I’ve been sailing my whole life, and as a captain, I knew how hard it was for me to obtain and grow my credentials. I first thought of MM-SEAS™ because I started to help other mariners apply for their endorsements.” Mr. Gilman went on to say that the team came together to solve this problem for the maritime community and help mariners build on larger endorsements. “Applying for a credential is like doing your taxes by reading the federal code! We wanted a simple way for mariners to grow in their careers, and for our military community to have good paying jobs after they leave the service. These jobs are critical for our economy and our national defense. The team started MM-SEAS™ to support and grow mariners to fill these really critical roles.” 

About the Software:

MM-SEAS™ automates the manual task of obtaining, tracking and renewing USCG credentials. The software eliminates paperwork processing errors and delivers meaningful merchant mariner career guidance.

The platform, available on desktop and mobile, uploads a mariner’s MMC, documentation of sea service, training certificate or other paperwork, and then allows the user to extract the applicable data in real-time. MM-SEAS™ makes it easy for mariners to determine if their training and experience fulfills the requirements of the over 840 USCG licenses and endorsements as well as providing insights into what is needed for their upcoming renewal. This information is then stored in our secure database and displayed on an interactive user dashboard providing clarity of process and focused career development for civilian mariners and active duty service members.

About the Team: 

The MM-SEAS™ team is composed of maritime and technology experts and spans the country including Boston, Honolulu, Park City, Arlington and the Bay Area. The team has deep roots in the maritime community and have personally come face-to-face with many of the challenges merchant mariners encounter when obtaining, maintaining and growing their licenses. 

Nate Gilman, who holds a Third Mate unlimited, is a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer. He grew up on boats and has held positions from running tall ship educational programs, pleasure yachts, and serving on large research ships. 

Chief Technology Officer Jesse Reich is an aerospace engineer, full stack developer and machine learning data scientist. He also holds an MBA from the University of Maryland. 

Chief Data Officer Lindsay Hennes is USCG Licensed Captain with 10 years of maritime experience, most recently driving ferries in San Francisco Bay. She holds a Master’s degree in GIS from the University of Southern California, and is interested in analysis and visualization of ocean datasets. 

Tyler Cornett is a dedicated Front End Developer with online sales and marketing expertise. Tyler completed a 20 year Coast Guard career as a CWO2 where he was an IT Project Manager, Systems Administrator, and IT Trainer throughout the West and East Coast. 

Zac Butko is a systems engineer, operations and test engineer, full stack developer and machine learning data scientist. He is also a former deckhand 137’ Gaff rigged Schooner Bill of Rights in 2012. 

Brian Bolton is a web application engineer and military spouse currently based in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Kristen Mattern supports MM-SEAS™with marketing and communications. She is a global public policy expert for a technology company and a military spouse currently based in Washington, D.C.  

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About MM-SEAS: MM-SEAS is a cloud-based software for Merchant Mariners that creates the perfect U.S. Coast Guard credentialing applications. Visit www.mmseas.com for more information.