(WASHINGTON) — This week, U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., and Mike Ezell, R-Miss., introduced the Mariner Exam Modernization Act, which directs the U.S. Coast Guard to develop and implement a plan to modernize the merchant mariner credentialing exam, aiming to eliminate redundancies and improve efficiency within 270 days of receiving recommendations from a dedicated working group.
“The men and women pursuing careers in the maritime industry shouldn’t be held back by an antiquated credentialing system,” said Carbajal. “The Mariner Exam Modernization Act is a common-sense step to ensure our licensing process reflects the skills mariners actually need on the job – eliminating redundancy, updating outdated requirements, and making the path to certification more efficient. This legislation is about strengthening our maritime workforce and ensuring the Coast Guard’s processes keep pace with the needs of the 21st century.”
“Our mariners deserve a credentialing system that reflects the realities of today’s maritime industry – not outdated exams and unnecessary hurdles,” Ezell said. “I’m proud to co-lead the Mariner Modernization Act to bring transparency, accountability, and real-world input to the process. This is about building up America’s maritime workforce and supporting the professionals who keep America’s maritime commerce moving safely and efficiently,”
“USA Maritime supports the effort to modernize the licensing exam for merchant marine officers through the Mariner Exam Modernization Act,” said Brian Schoeneman, chairman, USA Maritime. “The maritime industry continues to evolve and change, but the Coast Guard’s licensing exam hasn’t. The Mariner Exam Modernization Act will remove redundancies, ensure testing isn’t duplicative with other licensing requirements, and align testing with the realities of serving in the 21st-century merchant marine. We look forward to working with Congress to pass this bill and remove one more impediment to creating new merchant marine officers.”
“(The) Transportation Institute supports the Mariner Exam Modernization Act and applauds Congressman Carbajal for his leadership in solving the mariner workforce crisis,” said Sara Fuentes, vice president of government affairs for the Transportation Institute. “His dedication to the American mariner is remarkable, and we are grateful to have his support as we address this challenge together.”
The current Coast Guard licensing exam process for merchant mariner credentials is outdated, redundant and unnecessarily burdensome for aspiring mariners. Candidates must repeatedly demonstrate the same competencies, first through years of hands-on assessments and then again on a seven-part written exam – discouraging new entrants and diverting time from more relevant modern training like cybersecurity.
Additionally, the exam includes obsolete content and lacks a modern review system, leaving graduates underprepared for the realities of today’s maritime industry.
– Office of Rep. Salud Carbajal
