(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — On April 12, the U.S. Coast Guard’s online public access portal, Homeport, was taken offline permanently. Listed below are the primary mariner credentialing services affected by this change and the alternate methods for service currently available:
• Merchant mariner application status: To check on the status of an application for a merchant mariner credential or medical certificate, contact the National Maritime Center (NMC) at 1-888-427-5662, IASKNMC@uscg.mil, or via Live Chat. NMC customer service agents are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Eastern). The NMC experiences its busiest times around midday. To avoid longer wait times, the agency recommends calling early in the morning when phone lines are less busy or using its Live Chat service, which will connect mariners with a support team during normal hours. If emailing for application status, include “Status” in the subject line of the email along with the mariner name(s) and mariner reference number(s) in the body of the email. Note, processing times at the NMC will vary based on email volume.
• Merchant mariner credential verification: To verify the authenticity of a merchant mariner credential, email IASKNMC@uscg.mil. To aid in providing a faster response, include “Credential Verification” in the subject line of the email along with mariner name(s) and mariner reference number(s) in the body of the email. Note, processing times at the NMC will vary based on email volume.
• Mariner training and assessment data (MTAD): Course curricula and course certificate modification requests should be sent to NMCCourses@uscg.mil. Note, to prevent delays in mariner applications, course and program completions should be documented through the issuance of completion certificates. Completion certificate format and content should match that approved by the NMC during the approval process. For questions related to mariner training and assessment, contact the NMC at (206) 815-6893.
The NMC will provide updates to the status of these services as they are established.
– National Maritime Center
