The US Coast Guard (USCG) is proposing to eliminate six training course requirements for American seafarers, arguing that the courses exceed international standards and impose costs on mariners without delivering a measurable safety benefit.
The proposal, titled “Clarification of Certain Mariner Training Requirements,” focuses on specific endorsements under the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) framework. The USCG said the requirements go beyond the baseline established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and are not necessary for the safe operation of the vessels concerned.
The requirements were not mandated by domestic statute or by the minimum international standards established under the STCW Convention. However, the Coast Guard incorporated them into a rule implemented in 2013, citing the need to support safe vessel operations.
Following a subsequent review, the agency said it had reached a different conclusion.
“The Coast Guard has determined that these six requirements are unnecessary for the safe operation of applicable vessels,” the agency stated in the proposal, which is scheduled to be published as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register on Thursday.
Rulemaking backstory
The proposal has been years in the making and reflects changing regulatory priorities in Washington.
The initiative was originally developed during the first Trump administration in 2018, when the federal government was pursuing measures designed to reduce administrative burdens on industry. At the time, however, it was never formally published as a proposed rule.
The initiative subsequently stalled during the Biden administration, as the USCG shifted its focus toward supply chain resilience, environmental compliance and shipboard safety.
The second Trump administration has now moved the initiative into the proposed-rule stage for the first time.
The scope has also expanded substantially. The original initiative would have eliminated three merchant mariner training requirements, with estimated savings of around $2 million per year. The current proposal would eliminate six requirements and projects annual savings of approximately $6.1 million.
Proposed changes
The NPRM proposes removing the following six training requirements associated with STCW endorsements:
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Leadership and managerial skills (LMS): The requirement would be removed for mariners seeking to qualify as a Master on vessels of less than 500 gross tons, limited to near-coastal waters.
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Leadership and teamworking skills (LTW): The demonstration requirement would be removed for mariners seeking to qualify for or renew an endorsement as an Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OICNW) on vessels of less than 500 gross tons limited to near-coastal waters.
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Bridge resource management (BRM): The course requirement would be removed for OICNW candidates serving on vessels of less than 500 gross tons limited to near-coastal waters.
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Computer Systems and Maintenance (CSM): The requirement would be removed for Electro-technical Ratings (ETRs) serving on vessels equipped with main propulsion machinery rated at 750 kW/1,000 horsepower (HP) or more.
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High Voltage Power Systems (HVPS): The requirement would also be removed for ETRs on vessels with main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP or more.
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Engineering Terminology and Shipboard Operations (ETSO): The requirement would be removed for mariners seeking to qualify as Officers in Charge of an Engineering Watch (OICEW) in a manned engine room, or as Designated Duty Engineers (DDE) in a periodically unmanned engine room, on vessels with main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP or more.
Estimating the benefits
The USCG estimates that an average of approximately 825 mariners per year would benefit from the proposed changes if the rule is ultimately finalised.
The agency said the savings would come from costs that mariners would no longer have to incur. These include completing LMS, BRM, ETSO, CSM and HVPS training, as well as meeting the required standard of competence in LTW skills to obtain their respective STCW endorsements.
Over a 10-year period, and after discounting the figures to account for the time value of money, the Coast Guard estimates total savings of $42.8 million.
The projected benefit goes beyond course tuition alone. According to the USCG, the calculation includes avoided tuition, travel and related expenses, along with the opportunity cost of the time mariners would otherwise spend attending training or completing the required assessments.
