MaritimeLicensing.com

Good day to you all.

Well, I suppose I am going to start by saying that I am not going to Apologize for myself, I will say that I spend an awful lot of time Apologizing for items that come out of the NMC either by accident (oops, that was posted in error) or new changes that are known at NMC but they don’t or haven’t decided to inform the general public or the REC’s about.

What is this all about?  Oh Oh, there she goes again.

I’ll try to explain, I send out information to you all as soon as I get it from my sources so that you can be as up to date as possible.  Now, that doesn’t sound to bad does it?  Well, I have played this game with NMC for many years and I try to quantify my statements with “I can say for sure that this is the answer today, but I will not guarantee tomorrows answer will be the same.”  I usually say I will not guarantee that 5 minutes from now it will be the same.

Today they say the rules are this way - Tomorrow they may, and often do, change yesterdays rules to something else entirely.  Does this make me or any of the REC personnel look like we don’t know what ^#(( we are talking about?  You bet you sweet tush it does!  Does that make us angry or upset?  You bet your sweet tush it does.  Can we do anything about it?  Not only NO but ^#(( NO.  All we can do is try our level best.

I feel that is what I have been doing, I get the information from various sources and I pass it along to you.  It is your right to know what is going on.  Is it my fault that NMC changes this information after the fact?  No it is not, hence the fact that I will not apologize for myself for sending this information out to you, no matter how many times it is changed afterwards. If you have ever tried to find out information from the NMC on your own, you should realize that if you ask the same question to 4 different people back there you will get 4 different answers if you are lucky or you won’t get an answer at all.

Will I continue sending information to you?  Yup I will, for the Good, the Bad or the Ugly of it all.

Touch Keys with you later,

N.

Howdy!  Here is a zinger that I just received, I’m not sure I am happy about it, but I most certainly see the need.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation Ranking Member Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) has introduced legislation to provide immunity to U.S. merchant mariners who wound or kill pirates while responding to a pirate attack.

H.R. 2984, the “U.S. Mariner and Vessel Protection Act,” was introduced in response to the recent hijacking of the U.S.-flagged Mares Alabama by Somali pirates, during which the pirates kidnapped the ship’s captain.

The bill directs the U.S. Coast Guard to certify firearms training for merchant mariners on U.S.-flagged merchant vessels. Any trained mariner using force and the owner, operator or master of said vessels would be exempt from liability in U.S. courts as a result of that use of force.

It would also authorize the deployment of Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams to ride aboard and defend U.S. flagged vessels transiting pirate-infested waters. MSST are specially trained USCG personnel fully equipped in advanced weapons and other equipment that are capable of rapid deployment to successfully conduct antiterrorism operations, vertical insertions, and tactical ship operations.

The bill would further direct the United States to negotiate international agreements through the International Maritime Organization to provide similar exemptions from liability in other countries for the use of force by mariners and vessel owners, operators and masters as well as to ensure armed U.S. crews can enter foreign ports.

Touch Keys with you later.

N.

You know what, I am so glad they have set up yet another committee to over see the other 25 committees, damn, it just warms the cockles of my heart.  Now, if they would spend 1/4 of the time WORKING in stead of dancing around glad handing each other for what an outstanding job they are doing, the Mariners would not be setting in LIMBO STATUS for 6-8 months in the Medical Review Branch (MEB) at NMC.

APPLY TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE!  There will be 14 members, 10 doctors and 4 (yes 4) mariners!

Touch Keys with you later,

N.

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 10, 2009 /  Notices 27557
Estimated Time Per Respondent
0.59 hours (35.4 minutes)
Total Burden Hours
210,351.7 annual burden hours
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup)
$0.00
Total Burden Cost (operating/
maintaining)
$17,669,543
Signed: June 4, 2009.
Philip Reitinger,
Deputy Under Secretary, National Protection
and Programs Directorate Department of
Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. E9–13618 Filed 6–9–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–9P–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG–2009–0446]
Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory
Committee; Vacancies
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of committee
establishment and request for
applications.
SUMMARY: The Secretary of Homeland
Security is establishing the Merchant
Mariner Medical Advisory Committee
(MMMAC) under authority of 6 U.S.C.
451 and shall operate under the
provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App.).
Individuals interested in serving on this
committee are invited to apply for
membership.
DATES: Completed application forms for
membership should reach the Coast
Guard on or before August 3, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may request a copy of
the charter for the Merchant Mariner
Medical Advisory Committee or a form
to apply for membership by writing to
Captain Eric Christensen, Designated
Federal Officer (DFO) of the Merchant
Mariner Medical Advisory Committee,
2100 SW 2nd St., Washington, DC
20593. Completed applications should
be sent to the DFO at this same address.
A copy of this notice, the Committee
charter, and the application form are
available in our online docket, USCG–
2009–0446, at http://
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lieutenant J. Court Smith, Assistant
DFO of the Merchant Mariner Medical
Advisory Committee; telephone 1–202–
372–1128 or james.c.smith1@uscg.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Establishment of the Merchant Mariner
Medical Advisory Committee. The
Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. (Pub. L. 92–463),
governs the establishment of committees
by Federal agencies. This committee
will be established as a discretionary
advisory committee that will operate in
accordance with the provisions of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA) (5 U.S.C. App.) and pursuant to
the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 451. The
Committee will advise, consult with,
report to, and make recommendations to
the Secretary on matters relating to the
medical evaluation process and
evaluation criteria for medical
certification of merchant mariners. This
may include but is not limited to:
• Commenting on Physical
Qualification Requirements;
• Developing, communicating, and
considering expert based and scientific
recommendations;
• Examining such other matters,
related to those above, that the Secretary
may charge the Committee with
addressing;
• Conducting studies, inquiries,
workshops, and seminars in
consultation with individuals and
groups in the private sector and/or state
and local government jurisdictions;
• Reviewing work from other
agencies’ medical advisory boards to
recommend uniform guidelines for
medical/functional fitness for operators
of commercial vessels.
The Committee will meet at least once
a year. It may also meet for additional
purposes. Subcommittees and working
groups may also meet to consider
specific problems.
Request for Applications
The Committee will be composed of
fourteen members. Ten Committee
members shall be health-care
professionals with particular expertise,
knowledge, or experience regarding the
medical examinations of merchant
mariners or occupational medicine.
Four Committee members shall be
professional mariners with knowledge
and experience in mariners’
occupational requirements.
Initial appointments to the MMMAC
shall be for terms of office of one, two,
or three years. Thereafter, members
shall serve terms of three years.
Approximately one-third of members’
terms of office shall expire each year. A
member appointed to fill an unexpired
term shall serve the remainder of that
term. All members may serve more than
one term. In the event the MMMAC
terminates, all appointments to the
committee shall terminate.
In support of the policy of the Coast
Guard on gender and ethnic diversity,
we encourage qualified women and
members of minority groups to apply.
All members shall serve as Special
Government Employees (SGE), as
defined in section 202(a) of title 18,
United States Code. As a candidate for
appointment as an SGE, applicants are
required to complete a Confidential
Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form
450). A completed OGE Form 450 is not
releasable to the public except under an
order issued by a Federal court or as
otherwise provided under the Privacy
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a). Only the Designated
Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) or the
DAEO’s designate may release a
Confidential Financial Disclosure
Report.
If you are interested in applying to
become a member of the Committee,
send a completed application to Captain
Eric Christensen, DFO of the MMMAC.
Send the application in time for it to be
received by the DFO on or before
August 3, 2009.
A copy of the application form is
available in the docket for this notice.
To visit our online docket, go to
http://www.regulations.gov, enter theFederal Register / Vol. 74, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 10, 2009 /
docket number for this notice USCG–
2009–0446 in the Search box, and click
‘‘Go >>.’’ Applicants may also request
an application form via fax at 1–202–
372–1918.
Dated: June 3, 2009.
J. A. Watson,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Director,
Prevention Policy.
[FR Doc. E9–13634 Filed 6–9–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–15–P

Good day to you:

Here is a problem that has come to light and that I feel to be very important information for you to pass along to everyone.  During the past several weeks I have run up against this problem on multiple occasions and you all need to be aware of delays that it has and is causing.

Make sure that you tell your people that when they make their application with TSA to apply for their TWIC card that they identify their occupation as a MERCHANT MARINER.  If this is not done then the information gathered at TSA WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH THE COAST GUARD.

I believe this is how it is supposed to work.

1. The mariner contacts TSA to make an application for their TWIC.
2. If the mariner does NOT state on the application that their occupation is that of a ‘MERCHANT MARINER’ the information goes nowhere except within the TSA system.  The TWIC card will be issued if all is cleared through TSA.
3. If the information from TSA is not forwarded to the NMC then the mariners application is suspended awaiting additional information, because they (NMC) have no information from TSA.  This is causing major problems for the mariner.  Even if the mariner sends in a copy of their TWIC, the NMC won’t accept it because TSA has not released the information needed to them.
4. Because NMC does not have this information, the mariners application has been placed into a “suspended” status until this information has been received, will cause the application process to be delayed 10-12 weeks before it goes to an evaluator.This 10-12 weeks, added to an application that has been at the NMC for 4-8 weeks already, awaiting clearance from the Medical Evaluation Branch and then waiting again for assignment to an evaluator is a devastating set back for mariners wanting to renew or to get an original MMC issued.
   

So, I am strongly suggesting that you please tell your people that if they have recently made application for their TWIC to contact TSA either via telephone or the website and change their Occupation to ‘MERCHANT MARINER’ (if they have not already done so), and then request that TSA forward the information to the CG as quickly as possible.  I believe this should be done for anyone who has had a TWIC issued within the past 4 months as well.  This is especially necessary if the mariner has made an application to NMC for an original or renewal within this time frame and has not received their new MMC.

Here is hoping this information will not be necessary for you to deal with, but it is better to be pro-active than re-active.

Touch Keys with you later,

N.