Washington Waves: Waterway News From D.C.

President Donald Trump signed into law a multi-bill spending package to end a nearly four-day partial government shutdown that had suspended services important to the waterways industry.

According to a summary by Senate Democrats, H.R. 7148 provides $1 billion for the Maritime Administration, including $201.5 million for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (with $50 million of that for capital improvements), $139 million for state maritime academies (with $110 million of that for the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel Program), $35 million for the Small Shipyards Grant Program and $103 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program.

The summary also highlighted a combined $482 million for three maritime security programs that provide the Department of Defense with critical supply chain logistics and refueling needs support.

The measure included funding through September 30, the end of fiscal year 2026, for Transportation and Housing; Defense; Treasury; State; Labor, Health and Human Services; and Education.

Stopgap funding through February 13 was included for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to allow for negotiations on changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which fall under DHS.

Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency operations also come under DHS.

Initial statements from those involved in the talks triggered concerns that DHS might be facing another shutdown threat.

H.R. 7148 was sent to the White House after it received final congressional approval from the House on February 3 by a narrow vote of 217 to 214, a tally that included 21 yeas from Democrats and 21 nays from Republicans.

On January 30, the measure easily passed the Senate by a vote of 71 to 29.

NMC Delays

The National Maritime Center (NMC) announced it was experiencing extended processing times for course evaluations due to ongoing staffing and workload challenges.

“In many cases, processing may take months to complete,” NMC stated. “This applies to all request types: new approvals, renewals, modifications and corrections, even when they appear straightforward.”

Courses will not expire due to delays resulting from NMC operational circumstances, the agency added.

“If you have submitted a renewal request and have not received an official reply regarding approval status or extension, and your course is within seven days of expiration, please contact NMCCoursew@uscg.mil,” the NMC said. “Please continue to submit renewal requests no less than 90 days prior to your course expiration date. Early submission helps us support your planning needs and reduces the risk of disruption to your training schedules.”

For questions or concerns about course approval or renewal processes, contact 206-815-6893 or NMCCourses@uscg.mil.

“While we are unable to provide detailed timelines for individual requests, we will continue to share general updates and guidance to help you plan,” the NMC said.

FMC Chairman

Trump has designated Laura DiBella to serve as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission.

“It was a true honor to simply be nominated as a commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission, and to now be tapped as chairman is nothing short of a privilege,” DiBella said. “I am humbled and grateful for the faith that President Trump has demonstrated in me with this designation, and the gravity and responsibility of the role is not lost on me. I look forward to leading the incredible and hardworking FMC team in its integral function in carrying out President Trump’s mandate of ‘Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance.’”

DiBella was sworn in as commissioner on January 6 to serve a term that expires June 30, 2028. She was nominated by Trump on September 3, 2025, and confirmed by the Senate on December 18.

Meanwhile, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has advanced the nomination of Robert Harvey of Florida to serve on the FMC.

DOT Info Request

The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking feedback on modernizing maritime and other sectors of the transportation system through the application of digital infrastructure at scale.

“Responses will inform a coordinated national strategy for the development and deployment of Transportation Digital Infrastructure (TDI),” stated DOT’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST–R). “This strategy will serve as the framework for the next generation of the transportation system across all modes (highway, rail, air, maritime, transit, pipeline) supporting multimodal operations, safety, asset management and the accelerated deployment of new and emerging technologies.”

OST-R said it is seeking input from the public, industry, technology developers, state, local and tribal transportation agencies, researchers and other stakeholders.

Written submissions must be received by March 6 and should be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word document, preferably no greater than 10 MB, at TDI-Strategy-RFI@dot.gov with the subject line of “TDI Strategy RFI Response.”

Recommended format for responses includes Times New Roman 12-point font and one inch page margins.

For additional information, email TDI-Strategy-RFI@dot.gov or contact Alasdair Cain at 202-366-0934 or alasdair.cain@dot.gov.

Coast Guard Policy Letter

The Coast Guard’s Office of Design and Engineering Standards (CG-ENG) recently issued Policy Letter 05-25, providing guidance for use of aluminum flammable liquid storage cabinets on towing vessels per 46 CFR 136.115 as an equivalent level of safety to the steel cabinet requirements of 46 CFR 142.225.

In coordination, the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance (CG-CVC) published an update, CG CVC-WI-010 (4) OCMI Guidance on Special Consideration for 46 CFR Subchapter M Vessels, and removed the section titled “Storage of flammable/combustible products” in the enclosure to align Coast Guard headquarters’ policy directives.

If an OCMI issued a special consideration for flammable lockers for an inspected towing vessel, the COI and special note for the equivalency must be updated to reflect the CG-ENG policy letter and the allowance as an equivalency under 46 CFR §136.115, NOT a special consideration under 46 CFR §136.120 at the next CG attendance and/or administrative review.

Approvals for equivalencies outside of the criteria in CG-ENG Policy Letter 05-25 must be sent to CG-ENG. Additionally, the equivalency for use of flammable liquid storage cabinets outside of the §142.225 standard is restricted to domestic voyages only.

For questions regarding the policy, contact CGENG@uscg.mil.