Licensing & Training – Professional Mariner

28 Aug

Robert Allan Ltd. awards scholarships to three aspiring students

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Trainingshipbuilding, Tugboats and towing

(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — The trustees of the Robert Allan Memorial Scholarship Trust and Robert Allan Ltd. have awarded the following scholarships for the 2026/2027 academic year. The awards have been made to the following outstanding students, chosen from a highly competitive pool of well-qualified candidates: • Alex Bishton of New Westminster, British Columbia. Bishton has a naval architecture diploma…

27 Aug

NMC announces relief for mariners with pending MMC applications

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingNMC, U.S. Coast Guard

(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — The National Maritime Center (NMC) continues its efforts to reduce the elevated inventory of mariner applications and mitigate the impact of extended processing timelines on mariners. Temporary credential extensions and other mitigation measures outlined in the April 22 update will expire Aug. 31. However, the NMC recognizes that some mariners submitted renewal applications but, due to extending…

21 Jul

NMC reports ‘substantial progress’ in reducing application backlog

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingNMC, U.S. Coast Guard

(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — The National Maritime Center (NMC) has made substantial progress in reducing the backlog of applications resulting from the 2026 lapse in appropriations. As a result of sustained recovery efforts and increased production capacity, the NMC is updating its published processing timeline outlined in the NMC announcement dated June 16. Effective immediately, complete applications are expected to be…

09 Jul

NMRA awards two $2,000 marine trades education scholarships

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Trainingshipbuilding

(IRVINGTON, Va.) — The National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) has awarded two scholarships of $2,000 each to students pursuing education in the marine trades beginning this fall. NMRA has actively contributed to the future of the marine industry by awarding marine trades education scholarships annually since 2008. The 2026 recipients of $2,000 NMRA scholarships are Sawyer Couturier, attending the Marine…

22 Jun

Webb celebrates new class of naval architects, engineers

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Trainingshipbuilding

(GLEN COVE, N.Y.) — Webb Institute on Saturday celebrated the commencement of its newest class of naval architects and marine engineers, sending another group of exceptional graduates into the maritime and defense industries that depend on them. U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y., delivered the keynote address on the terrace behind Stevenson Taylor Hall and received an honorary doctorate from the…

03 Jun

Coast Guard updates guidelines for approved training

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, UncategorizedNMC, U.S. Coast Guard

(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — The Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing has published Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 01-26, "Guidelines for Coast Guard Approved Training." This NVIC will streamline the process of obtaining Coast Guard approval of required training for a merchant mariner credential and will reduce the administrative burden on maritime training providers. This NVIC makes several changes to the…

28 May

Port of Long Beach awards nearly $400,000 in scholarships

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingPorts

(LONG BEACH, Calif.) — The Port of Long Beach presented a record of almost $400,000 in scholarships to 165 local high school and college students to study and train in port-related fields including engineering, environmental science, maritime law and technical trades. The scholarships were announced during Celebrating Education, an annual event that brings together students, educators, policymakers and business leaders…

26 May

NMC update: Extension dates for MMCs, medical certificates

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingNMC, U.S. Coast Guard

(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — The National Maritime Center (NMC) is expanding the existing extension policy for merchant mariner credentials (MMCs) and medical certificates impacted by the 2026 lapse in appropriations and continued processing delays. Effective immediately, MMCs (national endorsements only) and medical certificates (national and pilot expiration dates only) that expire between Jan. 1, 2026, and July 31, 2026, will remain…

18 May

Mass. Maritime SNAME contingent earns honorable mention

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Trainingshipbuilding

(BUZZARDS BAY, Mass.) — Massachusetts Maritime Academy announced that a team of six cadets in the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) recently participated in SNAME Paper Night at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning an honorable mention for their paper “Bulk Carrier to Mobile Powerplant: Designing Alternate Power Solutions.” Researched and written by cadets Jackson Perrault,…

15 May

Normal operations resume at regional examination centers

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingNMC, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Effective Monday, May 18, all regional examination centers (RECs) and monitoring units (MUs) except for REC New Orleans and MU San Juan will return to routine operations, including availability to schedule examinations for all mariners. REC New Orleans will remain temporarily closed to walk-in and counter service, but its examination room will reopen for scheduling and conducting mariner…