Ships’ Crews Need IDs

WASHINGTON (CN) - Each crewmember on a commercial ship coming to the United States must carry acceptable identification when in U.S. navigable waters, as of May 28, according to a U.S. Coast Guard regulation.

Acceptable documents are a passport, a U.S. Permanent Resident Card, a U.S. Merchant Mariner's Document issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, and an international Seafarer's Identification Document from a country that has ratified the International Labour Organization Seafarers' Convention, if the document meets all the requirements of the convention.

This rule is to help the Coast Guard authoritatively identify crewmembers in U.S. navigable waters when necessary.

The regulation applies to the crew on ships that are en route to the United States, those that are departing from a foreign port, and those that have arrived. It includes U.S. commercial vessels coming from a foreign port.

The vessel operators are to ensure that crewmembers comply with this requirement, and crewmember IDs are considered "carried" when they are kept with the master of the ship.

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