Maritime News

The August 2009 performance report from the National Maritime Center (NMC) contains some very good news for mariners apply for any Merchant Marine Application transaction. Beginning in July the backlog of applications has been eliminated and the NMC is now processing more far more applications than they are receiving. In addition the average processing time for a perfect application is 31 days. A perfect application is an application that contains all the required documentation, forms, and signatures and the NMC can process without the need to request additional information.

If you need assistance with renewing your MMC or are electing to take the open-book exam because you do not have the required sea service experience to renew your license I recommend that you contact Mike Clooten at Merchant Mariner Consulting (http://uscg-mmc.net or (503) 504-8226), Mike will assist you with your MMC renewal issues at a very affordable price.

Columbia Pacific Maritime now offers USCG approved ARC First Aid & CPR courses as evening classes during the regular lecture course schedule. The cost of this course is $150. Class size is limited. Call (503) 841-6066 to schedule.

Evening classes are scheduled as follows:

• September 26-27
• October 10-11
• October 24-25
• November 7-8
• November 21-22
• December 5-6
• December 19-20

The following information was issued in a press release from the National Maritime Center dated August 5, 2009:

719B Rev (3/04) REMAINS VALID

Mariners should continue to use the Credential Application Form 719B Rev (3/04) with an OMB expiration date of 7/31/2009 as the currently approved and valid application. This form requires, and is undergoing, revisions in order to assist mariners in providing complete applications, simplify the application process and to align the form with the new Merchant Mariner Credential Regulations. When approved, the new revision will be phased in over a period of time which will be publicized in advance.

The following information was provided in a USCG National Maritime Center press release dated July 31, 2009.

While the data shared with the Coast Guard by TSA indicates that nearly 1 in 5 Merchant Mariner Credential Applicants do not currently hold a TWIC, the National Maritime Center (NMC) has uncovered several reasons why this data might or might not be true. If you want to find out how you can minimize the risk of delays in receiving your Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) related to your TWIC, read on:

Obtain a TWIC The first and most obvious issue is that some applicants whose applications were on file with the NMC prior to April 15, 2009, waiting to test or in an awaiting information status, still have not applied for a TWIC. If this is you, please understand that the NMC will not issue your MMC until we have confirmation from TSA that you hold a TWIC. Information on applying for a TWIC can be found at: WWW.TSA.GOV or by calling 866-347-8942.

Identify yourself as a Merchant Mariner To avoid delays in processing your MMC Application (whether originals, upgrades, renewals or endorsements) it is critical that you identify yourself as a merchant mariner by selecting ‘Merchant Mariner’ as your occupation when you apply for your TWIC. Even if you have yet to apply for your MMC you must identify yourself as a Merchant Mariner. This identification is what triggers TSA to send your data to the Coast Guard. Applications for Documents of Continuity DO NOT require a TWIC.

TSA Help Desk For applicants that have already received their TWIC and did not or can’t remember if you chose Merchant Mariner as your occupation, you can call the TSA help desk to have your occupation switched to Merchant Mariner or just to check.

• Call 866-347-8942
• Select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish
• Select 4 to get a representative that can help you change or confirm your selected occupation. The operator will ask you several questions to verify your identity and make the change. The operator will also give you a Help Desk Ticket Number.
• Write down and save this Help Desk Ticket Number. Having this number available will enable the NMC to quickly correct any further data problems associated with the occupation selection.

Accurate Data on the TWIC and Merchant Mariner Credential Applications Mariners will need to ensure that the biographical information that you supply to TSA is the same as that used to apply for your MMC. The NMC has spent many hours researching and correcting data errors which prevented the Coast Guard and TSA from matching data (name spelling, SSN, birth date, etc).