COAST GUARD ISSUES ANTI-COUNTERFEIT LICENSES FOR MARINERS

COAST GUARD ISSUES ANTI-COUNTERFEIT LICENSES FOR MARINERS    The U.S. Coast Guard has started issuing new merchant mariner license certificates using anti-counterfeiting technology.
   The new licenses will be issued to all merchant mariners, including masters, chief engineers and radio officers. “This license retains the traditional border design, title and vessel graphic design of the old version but will not have pre-printed text and fill-in-the-blank endorsement lines,” the Coast Guard said.
   The Coast Guard will produce the licenses from its computerized Merchant Marine Licensing and Documentation System. The new license forms were developed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to deter counterfeiting.
   “Mariners who haven’t already begun the process of requesting new or updated licenses or other credentials … face delays in processing at the service’s licensing centers because of a looming deadline for new training and qualifications,” The Coast Guard said.
   The agency also said the “old-style” licenses remain valid and mariners do not have to obtain a new one until their regular renewal date or when an endorsement or some other change is required.