Editorial: Katrina’s Visit Worsens Licensing Woes, Action Urged

Dave Shaw, chairman of the River Industry Executive Task Force (RIETF) and an employee of Kirby Corporation, has written about unprecedented licensing problems to Rear Adm. Robert F. Duncan, commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, New Orleans. RIETF reminds the commander of the growing problem and submits that “bold action is needed now.”

RIETF is requesting that the Coast Guard provide emergency relief in the form of waivers or temporary licenses to permit currently credentialed mariners to continue to operate while USCG credentialing services return to their pre-storm capabilities. The letter also urges that “the Coast Guard ‘pull out all stops’ in educating Congress of the urgency of this situation and the immediate need to resolve this problem.”

Hurricane Katrina disrupted service at the Regional Exam Center (REC) New Orleans for at least a month, only exacerbating licensing problems that were at an unprecedented high prior to the storms.

Wrote Shaw: “The navigation industry is facing an unprecedented problem concerning the timely licensing of mariner credentials following Hurricane Katrina. This is adversely impacting not only individual mariners but all those dependent on commercial navigation. The Gulf coast is the epicenter of this growing problem, but we believe it will soon have national consequences.”

In our August 1 editorial “Transportation Industry Suffers Shortage Of Workers” we wrote: “The towing industry is presently in a state of flux and many changes are taking place that make it difficult for the industry to staff its boats. That is not good news at a time when there is a growing demand for towing. One only has to peruse the classified ads in our Journal to know that the need for more workers is not being met.”

We can see how easy it would be, considering the complexion of the news in the aftermath of Katrina, to assume that the towing industry is on its last leg. It isn’t. As Shaw wrote to Adm. Duncan, “You may know that the demand for credentialed mariners was at a historic high prior to Hurricane Katrina. The post-storm demand for marine transportation is now also at a historic high. With the month-long total disruption to service at REC New Orleans, the loss or damage to thousands of mariners’ records and the expected slow recovery to pre-storm efficiencies, we are expecting grave consequences caused by the dearth of valid credential holders and the imminent prospect of the number of those credential holders dwindling.”

To illustrate the problem, Shaw told of one midsize towing company that had submitted 10 license renewal applications to REC New Orleans well before Hurricane Katrina.

“Though each of these mariners promptly resubmitted applications, some or most face the likelihood that their licenses will not be renewed before their expiration because of the expected response time,” he wrote. He cited another company that was waiting on original tanker documents submitted before Katrina to enable them to meet their liquid delivery commitments. He said both of these companies approach licensing problems proactively but “many others may not yet know if their applications are still pending or perhaps even lost. RIETF has been told there is no way for the Coast Guard to know how many applications were lost or even how many licenses will soon expire.”

According to Shaw, “Thus, on a personal level, some mariners will soon be unable to pilot a vessel and pay their bills.”

Another factor is that licensing-rule changes have made it much more time-consuming for harbor boat operators to secure licenses. If Coast Guard security measures required by the Department of Homeland Security are one day extended to deckhands, that, too, will make matters more difficult.

Shaw’s letter expressed appreciation for the “monumental efforts” of Coast Guard REC personnel to address the storm-related problems. It acknowledged that pending congressional action may provide some relief in the near future. Nevertheless, Shaw wrote that “given what we have experienced and hear from the RECs, we are concerned that the promised congressional relief will be too little and too late.”

The U.S. Coast Guard has performed tirelessly and admirably in its quest to answer the call in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now, either the Coast Guard (or Congress, if necessary) is called upon to take an additional step to lighten the burden dropped on the nation by that massive storm.

The Coast Guard can provide emergency relief in the form of the waivers (or temporary licenses) requested by RIETF. If it requires congressional authority, the Congress, with a quick passage of a very brief bill, could make it possible to bring much needed relief at the stroke of the president’s pen.

This is not a 10- or 15-year reconstruction fix. It is one of those critical situations that call for immediate and decisive action.

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