Merchant Mariner Credential

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Draft Merchant Mariner Credential, Passport style

Draft Merchant Mariner Credential, Certificate style

The Merchant Mariner Credential or MMC is a proposed credential that would be issued by the United States Coast Guard in accordance with the STCW guidelines to United States seafarers. It would be the standard documentation required for all crewmembers of U.S. ships with a Gross Register Tonnage of over 100 and for all vessels required to operate with a licensed Master, regardless of size. It would replace the Merchant Mariner's Document, merchant mariner license, Certificate of Registry, and STCW Certificate.

As proposed, the MMC would contain professional qualification information previously listed on a merchant mariner license or Certificate of Registry as an officer endorsement, while information previously listed on a Merchant Mariner's Document would be included as a rating endorsement. STCW endorsements would still be listed as STCW endorsements.

The initiative to combine the mariner credentials is due to the upcoming requirement for U.S. mariners to obtain the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (or TWIC), a biometric security card that all workers in the transportation industry will be required to obtain if their work involves access to a security-sensitive area. Rather than requiring a mariner to carry up to four documents to satisfy manning requirements, this will reduce the number to two: The TWIC and MMC.

After the as-of-yet undetermined implementation date, new mariners would receive the new credential while existing mariners would obtain the new credential when their current document/license expires. The credential would be obtained by applying in person or by mail to any of the 17 United States Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers in the United States.

The proposal has been criticized by several groups. One organization states that the consolidation reduces the merchant marine officer license, a certificate of professional achievement and status, into a work permit.[1] Another group suggests that the consolidation, together with STCW requirements, the coming TWIC requirement, and new physical evaluation standards have stressed the skilled labor pool and pose too much of an administrative burden and threaten mariner recruitment, training and retention.[2]