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Blockquote
How do we attend these public forums?
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How does one attend these sessions?
I truly appreciate that. I think we need to talk to our unions, companies, and representatives to help the MNC help us. They obviously are underfunded if they can’t replace their printers.
Understandable! You do this as a hobby on this forum. I wish there was better communication by an NMC person in an official capacity.
I do truly believe there would be a lot more buy-in to this if they could revive the old graphic and diploma. There was a very long tradition of framable licenses that looked like a diploma or license should. Hell, it used to be required to post in the “license rack.” Many ships I sail on still have the racks. I guess we just put them in the old racks and turn our heads to read 
Honoring tradition, as well as something we can take pride in, would be nice. I mean, come on, they got to know that’s what we want, right? They still maintain their printing page right front and center on the NMC website home page! and there are people out there selling services like this one. Ohio River Captains
In all seriousness, as this is on regular printer paper and already will be 8-1/2 by 11 full pages for the license and ratings, the change would not be impossible now or in the future.
What would be the appropriate outlet to communicate something that looks nice in a frame that will assist in industry buy-in of the new format?
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Draw your own conclusions about “looks nice in a frame.”
https://homeport.uscg.mil/missions/merchant-mariners/merchant-mariner-certificate/
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All i can see is a committee of cubicle pirates. Realizing that after years that the cost of the MMC is too much and the turnaround time too long. “i got an idea!, Lets go to single piece of paper with doo das and such. It’s got to be cheaper than the MMC” - If they just went back to the “Licence from the 90s” but added the counterfeit deterrent features . Photo, Fingerprint. Mylar strip. OR just went to a TIWC Type card like to old Z Card ( since they are renewing the Z numbers again) I find it hard to keep a straight face when these ideas come out.
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The card is coming, but not in time to solve the printer problem. I believe the IMO HTW is working on a standard first, no point getting ahead of them.
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Please, no. I don’t miss having to drive to an REC many states away to get fingerprinted for every renewal or upgrade. TWIC enrollment centers are much more plentiful and convenient.
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Passports are only printed on one side of the paper. The printers used for MMCs needed to be printed on both sides because of the amount of information. The printers the NMC had were custom and became almost impossible to maintain.
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Kind of sad they’re going away from a passport-style booklet. Every other country uses these and I can imagine PSC will have a field day with these print-at-home pieces of paper. Even my Panamanian book is a book. A little bigger than a passport but still a book.
I don’t understand the infatuation with an ornate license hanging on the wall. Yeah I worked hard to get my Chief’s license, but it’s a job. If I was a stock broker I wouldn’t fondle myself to my Series 7 license, it’s a job. I’m proud of what I accomplished but even when I had the old license it stayed in my bag and only came out to be posted in the rack. Can’t think of any friends or others outside the maritime industry that would be impressed. As bad as those that pronounce themselves as “I’m a merchant marine”. You’re not a member of the Marine Corps, you’re a merchant mariner.
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I have not hung up my college diplomas either. The point is more that the organizations issuing them to me considered esthetics that reflected it as an accomplishment and say this person is a respected professional instead of simply paperwork. Most state licensing professional engineers, doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers certificates follow that convention.
The book was very useful, but lost a lot of tradition going back to the early steamship licenses. There was enough grumbling that the CG made their low quality print your display thing, but they also didn’t do that very well.
Overall if it fixes the printing delays I’m all for the new thing. Just maybe it can be improved on in time.
I totally agree about the people who call themselves merchant Marines.
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Hey I will tell you despite all the comments about the new licenses. I think they are great. My new license came within 3 weeks! Also all the endorsements are listed are on one sheet. No need for the stickers and multiple scans.
It will help the incompetent dispatchers at the MMP who couldn’t figure out how to flip through the old book and make scans of every page. I once almost got in a fight with one MMP dispatcher who said I didn’t have a certain endorsement. I had to grab the book from him and flip to the page. He literally wasn’t smart enough to look at the book…. But then again it could’ve been him pulling the shady shit that MMP does because he certainly didn’t want me to get the job.
Submission to in my hand for my STCW mgt level (to go with Master AGT) took a tad over 3 weeks…I just won’t fold it as using a fine point pen nearly punched a hole in it…even signing on the kitchen counter. I advise a gel pen, medium point. (FWIW)
I think the single page is great idea generally with above comments… Might be a bit annoying when shore leaving foreign but single page scan will be nice.
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Isn’t it two pages, front and back?
Yup; nice “engraving” on the front. I think it is the front, as the “back” has personal data like address, DOB, and the picture.
Endorsements are on one side only.
But you would still need to scan both pages. You’d only need to photocopy one for the license rack though.
Now that I am seeing and touching them myself they aren’t near as bad as people were making them sound. They will probably make like easier for the folks sailing foreign because they are much more aligned with what I see in the world fleet.
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