The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing to eliminate six training and competency requirements for certain U.S. merchant mariners, saying the requirements exceed international standards and impose unnecessary costs without corresponding safety benefits.
The proposed rule, published Oct. 1 in the Federal Register, would affect masters and officers in charge of a navigational watch (OICNW) on vessels of less than 500 gross tons operating in near-coastal waters, as well as certain engineering officers and electro-technical ratings working aboard vessels with propulsion machinery of 1,000 hp or more.
The Coast Guard estimates the changes would benefit an average of about 825 mariners each year and generate approximately $6.1 million in annualized savings, primarily through avoided training, travel and related costs.
The six requirements proposed for elimination are leadership and managerial skills training for masters of vessels of less than 500 gross tons in near-coastal waters; bridge resource management training and demonstration of competency in leadership and teamworking skills for OICNWs on those vessels; Engineering Terminology and Shipboard Operations (ETSO) training for certain engineering officers; and Computer Systems and Maintenance and High Voltage Power Systems training for electro-technical ratings.
The requirements were established as part of a 2013 Coast Guard rule implementing amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, or STCW. Although they were not required by U.S. law or minimum international STCW standards for the affected endorsements, the Coast Guard included them to help ensure safe vessel operations.
Following a review, however, the Coast Guard concluded the six requirements are unnecessary for the affected endorsements.
For deck officers serving on vessels of less than 500 gross tons in near-coastal waters, the agency noted that vessels generally have only one credentialed mariner on watch, who serves simultaneously as OICNW, helmsman and lookout.
“Considering that the bridge team consists of one person,” the Coast Guard said, the leadership, bridge resource management and teamworking requirements “are unnecessary for safe shipboard operations.” The requirements would remain in place for deck officers serving on larger vessels or ocean routes with bridge teams consisting of multiple personnel.
The Coast Guard offered a different rationale for eliminating the ETSO course required for certain engineering officers. Mariners seeking the affected endorsements must already have at least 1,080 days of engine-room service and complete practical assessments and written examinations.
“Engineering officers are expected to have acquired this foundational knowledge through their broader engineering training and experience,” the agency said, with their competency further assessed through examinations and onboard service. Requiring a separate course, it concluded, “imposes an undue burden on mariners without corresponding safety benefits.”
Eliminating the ETSO requirement accounts for the largest share of the projected savings. The Coast Guard estimates about 460 mariners per year would be affected, saving approximately $4.9 million annually in training and related costs.
The proposal also would eliminate Computer Systems and Maintenance and High Voltage Power Systems training requirements for electro-technical ratings. The Coast Guard said ETRs cannot perform that work without direct supervision by a credentialed officer and concluded the requirements exceed the skill and responsibility associated with the rating.
The proposed changes have not yet taken effect. The Coast Guard is accepting public comments through Dec. 30 under docket USCG-2025-0392.
