Finding Mariner Licensing and Documentation Information Online

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine.

Full article by LT Hilary Stickle, Records Management Branch Chief, U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008.


NMC Website
The primary website hosts the majority of information mariners need. Here you will find the information mariners use when submitting applications for merchant mariner documents. On the left side of this webpage, you will see the website menu bar, which provides a list of broad information topics that can be found on the site.

At the bottom of each page, you will see items to assist users, such as the NMC contact e-mail addresses, including IASKNMC@uscg.mil for mariner application questions, and the NMC help desk phone number: 888-427-5662.

Homeport
Homeport is the U.S. Coast Guard portal to information covering Coast Guard missions. To access merchant mariner information, click on the “merchant mariners” button on the menu bar.

The major difference between Homeport and the NMC website is that Homeport provides greater information security. For this reason, mariners can use Homeport to check their application status online. It also provides access to the new sea service calculator, which will assist mariners in determining if they meet renewal sea service requirements.

Coast Guard Listserve
The NMC uses the Coast Guard listserve to notify the maritime community when there is new or updated content posted on the NMC website.

About the author:
LT Hilary Stickle has served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 28 years. Rising through the ranks, she began her career as a seaman radioman at Communications Station Boston, Mass. LT Stickle has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership, management, and development, and a master’s degree in strategic leadership. She earned her commission in 2000, beginning her second Coast Guard career. In the summer of 2007, she assumed the records management branch chief position at the NMC.

Full article and 124-page “Focus on the Mariner” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.