Shipping

U.S. Coast Guard Reduces Merchant Mariner Credential Processing to Four Months

The U.S. Coast Guard's National Maritime Center has cut merchant mariner credential application processing times to four months, down from eight months announced in June and the initial 8-to-12-month estimate in May. The improvement follows recovery efforts from the 2026 federal funding lapse that created a backlog of more than 19,000 applications. The faster turnaround results from expanded production efforts, overtime, surge processing, and workflow improvements.