Military to Mariners

Military to Mariners — Veteran’s Information Page

Maritime Administration

The Maritime Administration is the agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation with responsibility for waterborne transportation.

Military to Mariner – Your life afloat
Military to Mariner connects Veterans to careers afloat in the U.S. Merchant Marine:

We’ll give you a brief overview of the industry. It’s important for Veterans to understand what the Merchant Marine is and also what it isn’t
Although the Merchant Marine is not part of the government, there are identification and professional credentials issued by the federal government. We’ll show you, step-by-step, how to determine what you need.
And show you how to apply for certificates and licenses using your Navy or Coast Guard experience

The Maritime Administration

Is creating a list of training institutions which accept GI bill educational benefits.
There are links to training and employers in our booklet “Information Concerning Employment and Training in the U.S. Merchant Marine“,

And we have useful downloadable documents

Our publication “Information Concerning Employment and Training in the U.S. Merchant Marine“ has lots of useful information.
“Reemployment rights of U.S. Merchant Seamen“ is here.
Other Maritime Administration publications are here.
The Shipping regulations of the U. S. Government are in Title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations
The Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Manual, Volume III (CIM 16000.8B) concerns Marine Industry Personnel

Using your Veteran’s Educational Benefits
The Department of Veteran’s Affairs maintains a website to answer questions about the GI Bill (The “GI Bill” is the generic term for the various education assistance programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs)

Many USCG approved training institutions accept GI Bill benefits. These include, but aren’t limited to:

What the Merchant Marine is
The Merchant Marine consists of commercial ships and vessels registered in the United States. Most are privately owned and operated.

While commercial vessels are not military vessels, there are some similarities. The head of the engineering department, for example, is called the Chief Engineer. Likewise, vessel masters – the Master is the person in command — are formally addressed as “Captain”. There are special laws and regulations governing merchant seamen; these laws and regulations are enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Often you will need some training to augment your military qualifications. A link to maritime training sources is here.
Merchant Mariners are generally divided into two categories: licensed and unlicensed. These correspond with commissioned and enlisted status in the military.
Licensing. Merchant Marine Officers are licensed, like surgeons or airline pilots. The regulatory agency for the merchant marine is the U.S. Coast Guard. After you have started the application process and paid the required fees, the Coast Guard will evaluate your experience and advise you which license endorsement or endorsements you may be eligible for:
- Academies: There are six state or regional maritime academies and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in the United States. All lead to a license as a Merchant Marine Officer and an accredited Bachelor’s degree
- Other paths to licenses: You need not attend a maritime academy to become a licensed officer. Background on licensing and further information is available at the NMC’s web site on licensing information
Unlicensed members of a merchant vessel’s crew are either entry-level or skilled. Entry-level mariners do not need experience afloat. Skilled unlicensed mariners must have a specified amount of sea-time and often formal training. Further information is available at the National Maritime Center’s web site.

What the U. S. Merchant Marine is not (including: How much will I be paid?):
The Merchant Marine isn’t a government agency nor is it a military service, so there is no central hiring agency. Therefore, there is not a common pay scale which applies across the industry. Each vessel owner or operator sets a unique pay scale. Especially in the deep-sea industry, this is often through an agreement with a labor union.

The Department of Labor tracks wages within over 400 industries, including the merchant marine. The DOL web site which shows typical wages for waterborne transportation is here.

U. S. Coast Guard (USCG)
The Coast Guard is the regulatory agency responsible for seagoing credentials for U.S. merchant mariners. The Coast Guard maintains 17 Regional Examination Centers (REC) around the country. The RECs are supervised by the National Maritime Center (NMC). You can contact the NMC by e-mail (iasknmc@uscg.mil) or by toll-free telephone number: (1-888-IASKNMC) (1-888-427-5662).

Enforcement of laws and regulations which affect the maritime industry is assigned to the Commandant’s Deputy for Operations Policy & Capabilities (CG-DCO-D) who is a Coast Guard Admiral.
The Deputy’s subordinate for maritime credentials is the Commanding Officer of the National Maritime Center
Public access to all USCG functions is available through the Coast Guard’s webportal “Homeport“

National Maritime Center-the source for your credentials
The National Maritime Center (NMC) is a U. S. Coast Guard command whose mission is to issue credentials to fully qualified mariners in the most effective and efficient manner possible in order to assure a safe, secure, economically efficient and environmentally sound Marine Transportation System. NMC is also accessible through the Coast Guard’s “Homeport” web portal. NMC oversees 17 Regional Examination Centers (RECs) located at various places around the country. Your local REC should be your first step to obtaining your document, certification, or license.

Becoming a Merchant Mariner
Step 1: Organize your military record

Collect copies of your DD-214, Report of Separation (if you’ve been discharged), and records of any maritime-related courses you’ve taken which are not listed on the DD-214.
Get a summary of your military record, including training, by executing a Request Pertaining to Military Records(SF-180). You may request a paper copy of the form by contacting the closest VA Vet Center. Vet Centers are also listed in the phone book in the federal government pages.
- If you have any kind of afloat experience through your military service, write “Sea Service Transcript” in Section II, subsection 2 “OTHER INFORMATION AND/OR wp-content/uploads/pdf REQUESTED”, of your SF-180
Navy and Coast Guard service members and veterans: the NMC has evaluated your recruit training as meeting most of the requirements for Basic Safety Training. Some ratings in the Navy and Coast Guard are evaluated for further training and sea time for merchant marine service; the list of approved ratings is figure 2-1 of the USCG’s Marine Safety Manual, Volume II.
Other services Your sea-service-related experience must be evaluated by the NMC.

Step 1a: Download a new mariner package from the NMC website.

Step 1b: Military evaluations require the applicant to:

provide a Transcript of Sea Service (TOSS), History of Assignments (HOA) and/or military tracking software printout to include all information required by 46 Code of Federal Regulations 10.225(b)(6): Discharges or other documentary evidence of service indicating the name, tonnage, and propulsion power of the vessels, dates of service, capacity in which the applicant served, and on what waters.
Contact the National Maritime Center’s Customer Service Center by email (IASKNMC@uscg.mil) or by telephone1-888-427-5662 (1-888-IASKNMC) with any questions associated with these documentation requirements.

After the mariner’s complete application package is received by a Regional Exam Center, including payment of the required fees, and is accepted by the NMC, the NMC’s Mariner Evaluation Division will evaluate your package.

Step 2: Obtain your Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC)

Contact the closest USCG Regional Examination Center (REC).
RECs are your first stop toward obtaining U.S. licenses, Merchant Mariner Credentials, Certificates of Registry and STCW forms. RECs perform evaluations, administer examinations, issue U.S. Merchant Mariner credentials and conduct oversight of approved courses. The list of the 17 RECs is here. OR, you may call the NMC (1-888-427-5662) and ask for the address and telephone number of the closest REC.

Step 2b: Get a drug screen
An applicant for a mariner’s credential who must undergo a physical examination must also pass a drug screen for five prohibited substances. There are several methods of satisfying this requirement; they are found here.

Step 2c: Obtain your MMC
Most employment in the U.S. merchant marine requires an Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC, often referred to as a “Z-card” in the maritime industry) which is issued by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). You can find information about obtaining an MMC here, or by downloading the package of forms here.

The Coast Guard is required by law to charge a fee for the MMC. The money collected is added to the U. S. Treasury, not given to the Coast Guard. The fee schedule is here./li>

Step 4: Apply for your TWIC
After April 15, 2009, the Coast Guard will issue merchant mariner credentials only to applicants who have applied for a Transportation Worker’s Identity Credential or TWIC. The TWIC is issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

TSA is required by law to charge a fee for the TWIC.

Step 6: Do you need training?
STCW. The United States is a party to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), which sets qualification standards for masters, officers and watch personnel aboard seagoing merchant ships. Most mariners aboard U.S.-flag vessels will require some level of STCW training.

Maritime related training in the United States is certified or accepted by the National Maritime Center. There are hundreds of courses available, from very basic which takes someone with little or no maritime background through an apprenticeship, through very advanced.

Step 7: Ship Out!

Where? Which part of the industry? The U.S. merchant marine consists of over 10,000 ships and vessels. Which part of the industry you wish to sail in is an important decision; to help you decide, visit here.
What? Most commercial vessels have three departments: Deck, Engine, and Steward. Most mariners will spend their careers in only one of these departments. Common job descriptions are here.
How? Often you will need some training to augment your military qualifications. In addition to the list of Coast Guard approved courses, the Maritime Administration has a link here.
Licensing. Merchant Marine Officers are licensed, like surgeons or airline pilots. The Coast Guard will evaluate your experience and advise you which licensed endorsement you may be eligible for.
- Academies There are six state or regional maritime academies and the federal merchant marine academy in the United States. All lead to a license as a Merchant Marine Officer and an accredited Bachelor’s degree
- Other paths to licenses you need not attend a maritime academy to become a licensed officer. Background on licensing and further information is available at the NMC’s web site on licensing information.