AGENCY:

Maritime Administration (MARAD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

MARAD invites public comments on its intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed collection OMB 2133-0555 titled “Mariner Survey Pretest” is being renamed “Mariner Survey” to reflect the transition from a pretest survey to a full voluntary survey of merchant mariners. Collected information will be used to determine the number of qualified mariners who are available and willing to serve during a period of national need. Since the implementation of this survey, the total respondents, responses, and burden hours increased from 690, 690, and 247 hours to 5,162, 5,162, and 1,721 hours respectively. Additionally, there were minor changes to clarify some of the survey questions, while the Cognitive Interview instrument was eliminated. MARAD is required to publish this notice in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before August 3, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by Docket No. MARAD-2026-0892 through one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search using the above DOT docket number and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.

Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and docket number for this rulemaking.

Note:

All comments received will be posted without change to www.regulations.gov including any personal information provided.

Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collection of information is reasonable for the Department's performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the Department to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collection; and (d) ways that the burden could be lessened without reducing the quality of the collected information. The agency will summarize or include your comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this information collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kevin Lau, Office of Workforce Development & Maritime Education, Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, Email: kevin.lau@dot.gov.