S.Amdt. 6453

This amendment seeks to update and streamline the regulations and processes governing the United States maritime industry. Its primary purpose is to revitalize the merchant marine and improve the competitiveness of the U.S. maritime industrial base.

The amendment aims to add or change the following:

• Alternate Standards: It creates a program allowing certain self-propelled oceangoing vessels to be eligible for certificates of inspection based on specific criteria, such as cybersecurity assessments and compliance with international agreements.

• Rulemaking Committee: It establishes a committee tasked with reviewing commercial maritime regulations. This committee will recommend updates to vessel design, engineering, and mariner credentialing to better align U.S. standards with international requirements.

• Environmental Review: It streamlines environmental reviews for the construction of maritime infrastructure, including shipyards, port terminals, and other facilities that support the Navy or merchant marine.

• Credentialing Modernization: It mandates the modernization of the merchant mariner licensing system. This includes moving to electronic submissions, creating a data exchange system for government and industry, and upgrading examination processes. It also requires employers to provide sea service documentation within 5 days of a request or termination.

• License Management: It updates the rules for renewing merchant mariner credentials and grants the Secretary the authority to reactivate expired licenses or documents for up to 2 years during a declared national emergency.