[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 46, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 46CFR12.01-1]

[Page 196-197]
 
                           TITLE 46--SHIPPING
 
         CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
 
PART 12_CERTIFICATION OF SEAMEN--Table of Contents
 
                          Subpart 12.01_General
 
Sec. 12.01-1  Purpose of rules in this part.


    (a) The purposes of the regulations in this part are to provide--
    (1) A comprehensive and adequate means of determining and verifying 
the identity, citizenship, nationality, and professional qualifications 
an applicant must possess to be eligible for certification to serve on 
merchant vessels of the United States;
    (2) A means of determining that an applicant is competent to serve 
as a ``rating forming part of a navigational watch'' or a ``rating 
forming part of an engine-room watch'', or is otherwise ``designated to 
perform duties in a periodically unmanned engine-room'', on a seagoing 
ship, in accordance with the provisions of the International Convention 
on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 
1978, as amended (STCW), and to receive the certificate or endorsement 
required by STCW (incorporated by reference in Sec. 12.01-3); and

[[Page 197]]

    (3) A means, through a criminal record review and a safety and 
security check, to determine whether the holder of a merchant mariner's 
document would be a threat to the safety of life or property at sea, or 
his or her presence would be adverse to the security of the United 
States.
    (b) The regulations in subpart 12.03 of this part prescribe the 
requirements applicable to all training and assessment associated with 
meeting the standards of competence established by STCW.
    (c) Continuous discharge books and merchant mariner documents are 
issued by the Coast Guard and are property of the Coast Guard.

[CGD 95-062, 62 FR 34534, June 26, 1997, as amended by USCG-1999-5610, 
67 FR 66068, Oct. 30, 2002; USCG-2003-14500, 69 FR 531, Jan. 6, 2004]