Midatlantic maritime academy School is no longer in operation, having been sold to the Maritime Institute, which is now an independent entity unaffiliated with the previous management of MAMA. Furthermore, two former MAMA employees have been indicted and are currently defendants in a federal criminal case related to VA fraud, which resulted from course truncation.
midatlantic maritime academy-FAQ
- Can Suspension & Revocation (S&R) action be taken against mariners who attended truncated courses?
Mariners who did not finish their courses are exempt from S&R, because there is no regulation that requires mariners to be informed of how long their courses were authorized for.
Even if the mariners were likely aware that their courses did not meet the approval durations, the school was accountable and not the mariners to ensure that the courses complied with the approval
criteria.
2. There is a mariner who attended truncated courses and who is believed to be unsafe or lack competence. Can this mariner be required to retrain instead of submitting an affidavit?
The National Maritime Center has conducted a data analysis through MISLE and cross-referenced it with available Marine Casualty (MC) Information, comparing it to the MMC Reference Numbers of mariners who have completed abbreviated courses. There is no observed increase in the risk to the marine environment as a result of these abbreviated courses.
However, despite these findings, all mariners who have undergone truncated courses will still be documented within the MISLE system. This documentation will serve as a record in case any future Marine Casualty (MC) incidents can be linked to the abbreviated training. In such instances, this information can be considered when determining necessary remedial actions, including potential retraining, for mariners found to be at fault.
During this interim period, only mariners whose employers can vouch for their competence will have the option to submit an affidavit instead of undergoing retesting or retraining. Employers should exercise their discretion and make informed decisions when attesting to a mariner’s competence. If a marine employer believes that a mariner in their employ lacks the necessary skills covered in the truncated courses or poses a risk to the marine environment due to incompetence, they should refrain from providing a certification. A mariner whose marine employer does not provide a certification will have the option to retest or retrain. If a mariner is unable to pass an end of course test, complete retraining will be required. More faq can be read at the official website of national maritime center.
