APRIL 2018 • FOGHORN 25 SAFETYMATTERS Complete control and steering systems for vessels of all types and sizes. +1 (604)572-3935 • Surrey, BC, Canada sales@kobelt.com • www.kobelt.com KOBELT MANUFACTURING CO.LTD. By Eric Christensen, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Risk Management Each year, thousands of preventable maritime accidents are caused by operator inattention, cited twice as frequently as the next leading factor. The Furuno BR500 Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System (BNWAS) helps to prevent these accidents. Scan this code with your smart phone for a Guided Tour of the BR500. www.FurunoUSA.com O n March 9, 2018, the U.S. Coast Guard announced promulga- tion of a policy to harmonize Mariner Medical Certificates with Merchant Mariner Credentials. This is welcome news to many mariners who were concerned about managing different expiration dates associated with their ability to operate under the authority of their Merchant Mariner Credential. Apparently, enough mariners raised concern that in the 2015 Coast Guard Authorization Act, Congress mandated that the Coast Guard establish a process for harmoni- zation of not only the Mariner Medical Certificate and Merchant Mariner Credential, but also the radar observer endorsement. Medical Certificates A medical certificate is a document that serves as proof that a mariner meets the required medical and physical standards as specified in regu- lation. The requirement for a separate medical certificate resulted from the December 2013 Final Rule where the 2010 amendments to the International Convention on Standards for Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) were incorporated into Coast Guard mariner credentialing regulations. Captain Alan Bernstein, a past President of PVA, refers to this type of action as “bad international.” From the outset there was confusion regarding medical certificates and the relationship with the merchant mariner Harmonization for Mariner Medical Certificates