Merchant Mariner Credentials: Temporary Procedures, 2559 [E6-406]

Agencies

• Coast Guard
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 2559]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-406]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2005-22541]


Merchant Mariner Credentials: Temporary Procedures

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of extension of validity for merchant mariner 
credentials.

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SUMMARY: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the 
coastlines of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The Regional 
Examination Center at New Orleans, which provided credentialing 
services to approximately 29,000 mariners in those three states and 14 
percent of mariners nationwide, was completely flooded, destroying 
vital records and equipment and rendering the facility temporarily 
inoperable. Mariners in the area may have lost their credentials in the 
storm and subsequent flooding, or may be in possession of credentials 
that either have expired or will soon be expiring. The Coast Guard has 
previously implemented temporary measures to relieve the hardship on 
mariners in the Gulf Coast area who need replacement documents. With 
new temporary authority granted by Congress, the Coast Guard is 
implementing the additional measure of extending the expiration dates 
for the credentials of eligible mariners until February 28, 2006.

DATES: This Notice is effective January 17, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
call Mr. Donald J. Kerlin, Deputy Director, Coast Guard National 
Maritime Center (NMC), (202) 493-1006.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 3 of the Coast Guard 
Hurricane Relief Act of 2005, Public Law 109-141, the Coast Guard is 
initiating temporary credentialing measures for merchant mariner's 
documents (MMD), merchant marine licenses, certificates of registry 
(COR), and Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping 
endorsements (STCW endorsement) for individuals who meet the following 
conditions:
    (1) if the individual is a resident of Alabama, Mississippi, or 
Louisiana as confirmed by the Coast Guard's Merchant Mariner Licensing 
and Documentation system (MMLD), or
    (2) if the individual is a resident of any other State, and the 
records of the individual--
    (A) were located at the Coast Guard facility in New Orleans that 
was damaged by Hurricane Katrina; or
    (B) were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
    A credential that shows that it was issued in New Orleans, LA, will 
be sufficient proof that the mariner's records were located at the 
Coast Guard facility in New Orleans for category (2)(A) above.
    The following measures are applicable to all eligible mariners 
whose credentials have been lost, or have expired, or may expire, 
during the period indicated within this Notice.
    Until February 28, 2006, mariners from Alabama, Mississippi, and 
Louisiana who lost their credentials may apply at any REC to receive a 
duplicate credential that will bear the same expiration date and 
qualifications as the original document that was lost. The evaluation 
and issuance fees, usually charged for the issuance of duplicate 
credentials, will be waived. Please see the Notices published in the 
Federal Register in Volume 70, pages 57885 (October 4, 2005) and 59078 
(October 11, 2005) for more details on the waiver program.
    Due to the time it takes to process renewal applications, mariners 
who visit an REC to obtain a duplicate credential that is within one 
year of expiration should apply for a renewal or upgraded credential at 
the same time that they receive their duplicate credential.
    If a credential in a mariner's possession, including a duplicate 
issued under the provisions described above, has expired or will expire 
between March 1, 2005, and February 28, 2006, and the credential 
indicates that either the mariner's home of record is in Alabama, 
Mississippi, or Louisiana, or that the credential was issued at New 
Orleans, LA, then that credential together with a copy of this Notice 
will serve as a valid credential until February 28, 2006.
    A mariner who is a resident of any other State, and whose 
credential was issued at a location other than New Orleans and has 
expired or will expire between March 1, 2005, and February 28, 2006, 
and whose records were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane 
Katrina, should contact any REC for the procedures to obtain official 
correspondence affirming that the mariner's credential remains valid 
until February 28, 2006.
    Due to the hurricane, Regional Examination Center (REC) New Orleans 
was forced to close for approximately six months or more and additional 
resources were allocated to RECs Memphis, Houston, Miami, and 
Charleston. Mariners may seek assistance at these or any of the other 
12 RECs around the country, a list of which appears at 46 CFR 10.105 
and 12.01-7.

    Authority: Coast Guard Hurricane Relief Act of 2005, PL 109-141, 
2005 HR 4508, 46 U.S.C. 2103, 2110, 7101, 7302, 7501, and 7502, and 
Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1.

    Dated: January 11, 2006.
C.E. Bone,
Acting Assistant Commandant for Prevention, RDML, U.S.C.G.
[FR Doc. E6-406 Filed 1-13-06; 8:45 am]
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