Coast Guard National Maritime Center's Oversight of Merchant Mariner Training and Examinations

Submitting OIG:

Report Description:

The United States Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center (NMC) struggled to approve merchant mariner training offered by NMCapproved third-party training providers in a timely manner, and it routinely extended merchant mariner training courses and programs past their 5-year regulatory approval period. NMC also did not have adequate quality control measures, resulting in training providers offering training that did not meet all regulatory and policy standards.

Date Issued:

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

Department of Homeland Security

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

OIG-24-08

Component, if applicable:

United States Coast Guard (USCG)

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Inspection / Evaluation

Questioned Costs:

Funds for Better Use:

Number of Recommendations:

Report updated under NDAA 5274:

Additional Details Link:

https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2023-12/OIG-24-08-Dec23.pdf

Related Open Recommendations

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation
1	Open	No
Develop and implement a course approvals plan to address the existing backlog and to avoid future approval delays.
2	Open	No
Establish and implement quality control measures for course approvals to include peer review or other mechanisms to ensure course approvals meet requirements.
3	Open	No
Develop and implement goals and requirements for the course oversight auditing program, including the number and type of audits to be conducted by each auditor in a given time period.
4	Open	No
Establish and implement controls to ensure audit results are used to improve operations and apply enforcement actions to MTPs, such as suspension or withdrawal of course approvals, after serious nonconformities are identified.
5	Open	No
Develop and implement policy and procedures for routinely conducting in person-audits of mariner training sites to ensure sites are operating in accordance with the site approval.
6	Open	No
Develop and implement a policy for routinely conducting audits of thirdparty course approvers to ensure they have processes for reviewing, approving, and monitoring training that are equal to the Coast Guard’s course approval and oversight processes.
7	Open	No
Develop and implement a plan to modernize NMC’s examination processes, with a milestone timeline endorsed by the Coast Guard offices whose support and assistance is needed.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

Open

Develop and implement a course approvals plan to address the existing backlog and to avoid future approval delays.

Open

Establish and implement quality control measures for course approvals to include peer review or other mechanisms to ensure course approvals meet requirements.

Open

Develop and implement goals and requirements for the course oversight auditing program, including the number and type of audits to be conducted by each auditor in a given time period.

Open

Establish and implement controls to ensure audit results are used to improve operations and apply enforcement actions to MTPs, such as suspension or withdrawal of course approvals, after serious nonconformities are identified.