U.S. Merchant Marine: Maritime Administration Should Assess Potential Mariner-Training Needs Page: 2 of 42
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High ghts
Highlights of GAO-14-212, a report to
congressional committees.
Why GAO Did This Study
The U.S. merchant marine-the
nation's domestic and oceangoing
commercial ships and mariners-
supports both U.S. commerce and
national defense. MARAD, an agency
within the Department of
Transportation, is responsible for
fostering, promoting, and developing
the maritime industry; providing for the
education and training of U.S.
mariners; and studying all problems
related to merchant-marine commerce
and national-defense policies. Proper
education and training of mariners is
important to the success of the
merchant marine.
The Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation Act of 2012 mandated
that GAO review mariner training. This
report examines (1) the availability of
maritime training, (2) the availability of
financial assistance for maritime
training, and (3) MARAD's actions to
ensure mariners meet commerce and
defense needs and industry
stakeholder views on those actions.
GAO analyzed documents and
interviewed officials from MARAD, the
Coast Guard, the Department of
Defense, maritime-training providers,
unions, and companies.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommends that MARAD study
and identify potential problems in
ensuring that U.S. mariners are
adequately trained to meet the needs
of the entire maritime industry. The
Department of Transportation did not
agree or disagree with the
recommendation.
View GAO-14-212. For more information,
contact Lorelei St. James at (202) 512-2834 or
StJamesL@gao.gov.U.S. MERCHANT MARINE
Maritime Administration Should Assess Potential
Mariner-Training NeedsWhat GAO Found
Maritime training-for domestic waterway and oceangoing operations-is
available through many public and private entities. These entities include the
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), state maritime academies,
community colleges, union-affiliated schools, and about 230 private sector
schools. Private companies also provide training to their mariner employees,
including training to operate the vessels in their domestic and oceangoing fleets.
A broad array of federal and non-federal financial assistance programs are
available to help pay for maritime training. The Maritime Administration (MARAD)
provides financial aid to academy students, GI Bill assistance is available to
veterans, and the Department of Education provides loans and grants to college
students. Maritime unions also provide assistance to their members, and
maritime companies can provide assistance to their employees. Several industry
stakeholders GAO interviewed stated that some prospective and current
mariners could lack access to financial assistance. However, MARAD's
responsibility towards paying for training mainly extends to students at the
USMMA and at the state maritime academies who receive student incentive-
payment-program funds.
MARAD primarily supports the oceangoing maritime industry and its training
needs. MARAD directly supports the oceangoing industry through subsidies for
ships available for defense purposes and provides funding to the federal and
state maritime academies. MARAD officials stated that they have not focused as
much on the domestic commercial sector because they consider efforts to
support military sealift requirements a higher priority for available budgetary
resources. MARAD officials stated that they intend to conduct analyses of the
domestic commercial maritime industry; however, the officials have not yet
devoted the staff resources necessary to complete this effort and did not
establish a time frame for completing this effort.
Some stakeholders GAO interviewed expressed concerns about MARAD's focus
on the oceangoing sector, especially as the maritime industry has evolved to
predominantly serve domestic waterways. For example, officials from three
maritime academies expressed the need for more information to develop courses
to meet domestic industry requirements, and several company stakeholders
expressed similar concerns about the academies' lack of curriculums specifically
tailored for the domestic sector. MARAD officials acknowledge that many
mariners now prefer to work domestically and that this shift in preference,
combined with the decline in the number of U.S. oceangoing ships, has resulted
in fewer qualified mariners to meet U.S. oceangoing requirements. To address
maritime industry issues, MARAD announced in September 2013 that it is
developing a national maritime strategy. MARAD is also currently helping the
Department of Transportation develop a national freight strategic plan, of which
the maritime industry is a vital part. Studying potential training problems affecting
the merchant marine's ability to carry out specified national commerce and
defense objectives to ensure economic growth and sealift support in times of war
could provide information to maritime stakeholders and help MARAD meet its
responsibilities.United States Government Accountability Office
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United States. Government Accountability Office. U.S. Merchant Marine: Maritime Administration Should Assess Potential Mariner-Training Needs, report, January 31, 2014; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc302444/m1/2/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.