The U.S. Coast Guard has temporarily extended the grace period for lapsed merchant mariner credentials from one to six years, a move the service acknowledged could help the industry preserve the nation’s maritime workforce.
The change, which was announced in an April policy letter and took effect immediately, gives mariners six years to renew lapsed credentials without requiring them to complete an examination to restore their prior license. Although described as a temporary change, the rule will remain in place indefinitely.
Mariners who previously applied for a renewal of their merchant mariner credential after the one-year grace period can now reapply under the new standard. They will, however, have to pay any fees associated with the application.
“The recent changes to our credentialing policies allow mariners whose credentials have expired in the recent past to renew without completing a full closed book examination,” Coast Guard spokeswoman Melissa Leake said. “The policy aims to streamline the credentialing process for mariners and ensure they can quickly return to maritime workforce after an absence, which we believe supports the maritime industry during this time of reported shortages.”
Industry groups praised the move, which they said could save mariners up to $40,000 in costs and months of classroom work in some cases to restore a lapsed credential.
“I applaud the Coast Guard’s ability to figure out a way to get this done,” said Aaron Smith, president of the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA). “This will allow people who left, but have a ton of experience, to come back in and not have to start at the beginning.”
Industry groups and regulators have made mariner retention a top priority following labor force disruptions amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the policy letter, there were 11,769 mariners with unlimited credentials in 2017 to crew the U.S. Ready Reserve Force, roughly 1,900 fewer than was necessary for a sustained maritime effort. It’s not clear how many mariners with similar credentials exist in 2024.
“During the years since the 2017 study was released, the maritime industry — like many other industries — has been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the policy letter said. “Subsequent disruptions to the labor pool have negatively impacted mariner retention.”
OMSA has been seeking this type of policy change since at least 2022. Its members include companies that support the offshore oil patch, which is known for boom-and-bust cycles that can cause major swings in employment. Prior to this change, mariners who neglected to put their licenses into continuity had to go back to the beginning of their training when their license expires.
“You often see someone put in years to gain and upgrade their license and get to a place where they are working, supporting their families, then the market falls out and day rates decrease,” Smith said. “That means that person loses access to a very good livelihood and we, as a nation, lose access to experienced, safe, professional mariners. Both of those are things we should not let happen.”
John Fontenot, vice president of Odyssea Marine, an offshore supply vessel company operating primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, came up through the industry, spending seven years on the water before making his way to the executive suite. Between 2018 and 2020, his company had to let people go when the industry slowed, and bringing them back later on was difficult because some no longer had the same license.
“It is a burden on us, because we really need them for the position they left at, not a lesser position,” he said. “Hopefully, that has changed and this new grace period will encourage people to come back to the industry, because a lot of folks, knowing it is a mountain to climb to get back at an even level, decide it’s not worth it.”
It’s not clear how many mariners will take advantage of the new program. But Fontenot hopes the change will positively impact the industry.
“For me, when I decided to get off the boats and come shoreside, I knew enough to put my license into continuity and froze it. But not everybody has the foresight. Here’s an opportunity to bring people into the workforce, people who are very skilled. Let’s bring them back.”