The National Maritime Center posted a bulletin announcing that the Regional Exam Center (REC) in Miami will be closed beginning Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, due to Hurricane Irma. Please do not fax or mail applications to this REC until further notice. While electronic applications are still being accepted, paper applications should be sent to another REC for processing. REC and Monitoring Unit location information can be found on the REC page of the National Maritime Center website.

The NMC will continue to work applications received prior to September 6. If you recently mailed or faxed an application to REC Miami, you may contact the NMC at 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662) to verify it has been received.

Mariners needing to schedule application and examination appointments during the closure should contact the NMC via the Chat function, by calling 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662), or via e-mail to IASKNMC@uscg.mil.

As a reminder, in accordance with federal regulations, duplicate Merchant Mariner Credentials may be issued free of charge to mariners whose credentials are lost or destroyed as a result of a hurricane. Mariners should follow the steps below to obtain an expedited replacement credential:

• Provide a statement of loss to the NMC via fax at 1-304-433-3412 or via e-mail to IASKNMC@uscg.mil. The statement should contain the following:

o Mariner’s full name
o Mariner’s date of birth
o Mariner’s reference number (MRN) (if you don’t know the reference number, include the social security number)
o The mailing address that the replacement credential should be sent to
o Current phone number and/or e-mail address that we can use to contact the mariner in the event of questions
o Description of the circumstances surrounding the loss/destruction of the credential

Unless otherwise requested, any duplicate Merchant Mariner Credentials issued per the request process above will include a corresponding Medical Certificate, if previously issued. NMC will make every effort to have duplicate credentials mailed out the next business day. Alternatively, mariners may submit form CG-719B, Application for Merchant Mariner Credential, to one of the Regional Exam Centers with the information above. If your credential is unserviceable due to damage or your lost credential is subsequently found, that credential should be mailed to the NMC.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.