(NORFOLK, Va.) — A notification was recently distributed by the U.S. Coast Guard alerting mariners that the former Norfolk, Va.-based Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy (MAMA) had delivered “truncated courses” at the school from 2015-2019 for classes offered at night. Daytime class sessions were not included in the advisory.
The National Maritime Center has notified mariners who took these night courses that their certificates are no longer valid, and presented several options for how affected mariners could regain the certifications, including simply attesting to their understanding of the material presented in the evening classes. The notification can be found on the National Maritime Center website homepage under the “Announcements” section.
The assets of MAMA were acquired in December 2021 by Abrams Marine Group, according to Dave Abrams, CEO of Abrams Marine Group and the San Diego-headquartered Maritime Institute. “Since purchasing in the company, I have put in place a new management team that is committed to upholding the highest standards of conduct in our industry,” Abrams said.
Working in cooperation with the National Maritime Center, he added, “We turned the company around culturally while implementing new systems and procedures to ensure all USCG standards of training would be maintained in the future.”
The result of that effort was the creation of Maritime Institute East in Norfolk, Va.
“My whole focus is about supporting mariners,” Abrams said. “We know this message from the Coast Guard about truncated courses will be concerning to those who took evening classes at MAMA during the 2015-2019 time period,” adding that “Maritime Institute is here to support those impacted by the truncated courses through the attestation process, and retesting or new course sessions, if needed.”
Those needing support or further information are encouraged to contact Maritime Institute East’s Student Services team at (757) 464-6008 or studentservices@maritimeinstitute.com. Affected mariners can also respond directly to the National Maritime Center when contacted.
Disclaimer: Maritime Publishing, which produces Professional Mariner, is also owned by Abrams Marine Group.
