AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Notification.

SUMMARY:

This document announces that the Coast Guard will not require the electronic submission requirement for mariner course completion data until at least November 25, 2028, because the system for providing the electronic submission is not yet fully operational. The Coast Guard will notify the public through the Federal Register before requiring the electronic submission of course completion data.

DATES:

The requirement in 46 CFR 10.403(a)(7) to electronically submit mariner course completion data will not be implemented before November 25, 2028.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information about this document, call or email Mr. Brian T. Eichelberger, Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing, Coast Guard; telephone 571-608-2071, email Brian.T.Eichelberger@uscg.mil.

Background and Discussion

The Coast Guard issues Merchant Mariner Credentials to mariners who have met the regulatory requirements for individual endorsement(s), as described in 46 CFR parts 10, 11, 12, and 13. The general standards for Coast Guard-approved courses and programs are found in 46 CFR 10.403. On November 25, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Coast Guard, issued a final rule titled “Electronic Submission of Mariner Course Completion Data” ^[1] hereafter, “2024 final rule.”

The 2024 final rule amended 46 CFR 10.403 to require Coast Guard-approved training providers to electronically submit the mariner course completion data listed in 46 CFR 10.403(b)(7)(i) through (v) to the National Maritime Center within 5 business days after a student completes a Coast Guard-approved course or program. The 2024 final rule stated Coast Guard-approved training providers were required to comply with this regulation by November 25, 2026.

At the time the 2024 final rule was published, the Coast Guard anticipated using the Homeport online portal as the mechanism for the electronic submission of course completion data, pending development of an updated information technology system. However, on April 12, 2025, the Coast Guard decommissioned the Homeport online portal because of increased operating costs, system obsolescence, and cybersecurity concerns.

On September 14, 2026, the Coast Guard announced the initial release of Navita^TM , a new digital platform designed to streamline the application and issuance of merchant mariner credentials.^[2] Navita^TM is intended to replace the current labor-intensive manual mariner credentialing process.

Navita^TM will include a dedicated mariner training provider module that will facilitate electronic submission of mariner course completion data as required by 46 CFR 10.403(b)(7). The Coast Guard expects the Navita^TM mariner training provider module to become fully operational in January 2028. Accordingly, the Coast Guard expects to begin the requirement for electronic submission of mariner course completion data on November 25, 2028.

Before requiring the electronic submission of course completion data, the Coast Guard will notify the public through publication in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Navita^TM mariner training provider capability and will provide guidance to facilitate meeting the requirements for electronic submission. In the interim, mariners should continue to submit their course completion certificates to the National Maritime Center with their merchant mariner credential applications.

This notice is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).