The Coast Guard has announced the appointment of 18 individuals to serve as members of the National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (N-MERPAC).

N-MERPAC was established on December 4, 2018, by § 601 of the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-282, 132 Stat. 4192 and is codified in 46 U.S.C. §15103. The Committee advises, consults with, and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security through the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard on matters relating to personnel in the United States Merchant Marine including the training, qualifications, certification, documentation, and fitness of mariners.

Membership is composed of nineteen members (a Qualified Member of the Engine Department is set to be appointed later) from the following groups, and in the following numbers:

• Nine members shall represent mariners and each shall be a United States citizen holding credentials issued under 46 U.S.C. chapter 71 or merchant mariner documents issued under 46 U.S.C. chapter 73.  And of those nine:
  • Three shall be deck officers who represent merchant marine deck officers and, of those three: two shall be licensed for oceans any gross tons; one shall be licensed for inland river route with limited or unlimited tonnage; two shall have a master’s license or a master of towing vessels license; one shall have significant tanker experience; and to the extent practicable, one shall represent labor and one shall represent management;
  • Three shall be engineering officers who represent merchant marine engineering officers and, of the three: two shall be licensed as chief engineer any horsepower; one shall be licensed as either a limited chief engineer or a designated duty engineer; and to the extent practicable, one shall represent labor and one shall represent management;
  • Two shall be unlicensed seamen who represent merchant marine unlicensed seaman and, of the two: one shall be endorsed as able-bodied seamen; and one shall represent qualified members of the engine department (still to be appointed); and
  • One shall be a pilot who represents merchant marine pilots.
• Six members shall represent marine educators and, of the six:
  • Three shall be marine educators who represent maritime academies and, of the three: two shall represent State maritime academies and are jointly recommended by such academies; and one shall represent either the State maritime academies or the United States Merchant Marine Academy; and
  • Three shall be marine educators who represent other maritime training institutions and, of the three, one shall represent the small vessel industry.
  • Two members shall represent shipping companies employed in ship operation management.
  • Two members shall represent the general public.

Each member holds office for a term up to three years.

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 publications, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These publications remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.