USCG Grants Extension to Mariner Credentials During Shutdown, REC’s Remain Closed

With the U.S. government shutdown now in its 10th day and with no end in sight, the U.S. Coast Guard says that due to processing delays it is granting extensions to mariners whose credentials have or are set to expire during the shutdown.

In a statement Thursday,the Coast Guard said that mariners whose credentials expire between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30 can receive the extension due to the current lapse in appropriations.

The Coast Guard said that under the authority of 46 United States Code 7507, the Coast Guard says it will be granting extensions to national endorsements set to expire between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30 until Dec. 31, 2013. Those affected need to visit the National Maritime Center’s website to print the letter granting the extension, and retain this with your credentials and have it available for Coast Guard and other officials.

The Coast Guard says it will issue a new credentials those who need renewals and are likely to sail on international routes. Mariners’ whose credential expire between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, 2013 and are likely to sail internationally, should contact the National Maritime Center.

Mariners that have applied for and paid for credential application services during the lapse in appropriations will receive all entitled documents and qualifications once the Coast Guard has regained full operational status. All mariners should expeditiously submit their application for credentials coming due in the next few months to avoid further delays in receiving their documents.

As a reminder, the National Maritime Center (NMC) is still only authorized to maintain limited operations in support of National Security issues and Regional Exam Centers (REC) remain closed. That means:

• Exam Appointments will be cancelled and must be rescheduled after the shutdown is lifted. Online scheduling will be disabled.
• Appointments to drop off applications will be cancelled and must be rescheduled after the shutdown is lifted. On line scheduling will be disabled.
• There will be no walk ins.
• Applications may continue to be mailed or emailed and will be processed when the shutdown is lifted.

The NMC will however:

• Maintain the Customer Service Call Center. 888-IASKNMC will be open and monitored from 0800 until 2000 Eastern Time Monday through Friday. REC and NMC phones will not be monitored.
• Maintain the website.  Will attempt to keep the industry up to date on our status via the website.

Additional questions regarding this matter should be forwarded to the National Maritime Center at 1-888- IASKNMC (1-888-427-5662) or by email at [email protected]. Mariner and industry stakeholders are encouraged to monitor the NMC website for updates. www.uscg.mil/nmc.

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