Posted:
April 16, 2009
The U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center has issued the following information. The complete bulletin is available on the NMC Web site.
To protect the personal information of mariners, on Oct. 6, 2006, the Coast Guard removed the mariner’s social security number from all the credentials issued after this date and replaced it with a “mariner reference number” generated by the Merchant Mariner Licensing and Documentation (MMLD) system. While the social security number is still collected on a credential application, it is not printed on the credential and it is not used internally by the Coast Guard when processing the application.
When a mariner applies for an original credential for the first time, they will receive a mariner reference number and an application identification number. The mariner reference number is unique to the mariner and will not change during subsequent credential transactions. Mariners wishing to check the status of their application online via the Coast Guard’s Homeport portal will need to use their mariner reference number and the application ID number.
With the increased risk associated with identity theft, the Coast Guard strongly encourages all mariners and marine employers to use mariner reference numbers when communicating with the Coast Guard regarding merchant mariner credentials.
National Maritime Center: importance of using the mariner reference number
The U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center has issued the following information. The complete bulletin is available on the NMC Web site.
To protect the personal information of mariners, on Oct. 6, 2006, the Coast Guard removed the mariner’s social security number from all the credentials issued after this date and replaced it with a “mariner reference number” generated by the Merchant Mariner Licensing and Documentation (MMLD) system. While the social security number is still collected on a credential application, it is not printed on the credential and it is not used internally by the Coast Guard when processing the application.
When a mariner applies for an original credential for the first time, they will receive a mariner reference number and an application identification number. The mariner reference number is unique to the mariner and will not change during subsequent credential transactions. Mariners wishing to check the status of their application online via the Coast Guard’s Homeport portal will need to use their mariner reference number and the application ID number.
With the increased risk associated with identity theft, the Coast Guard strongly encourages all mariners and marine employers to use mariner reference numbers when communicating with the Coast Guard regarding merchant mariner credentials.