The Maritime Administration (MARAD) contracted with the Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS) to conduct a follow-up to the 2001 Mariner Survey. The
focus of the follow-up survey was to provide MARAD with:
general information on mariners qualified for deep sea service;
qualifications held by Mariners by license/documentation;
current status of meeting Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping
(STCW) 95 qualifications;
recency of sailing experience; and
willingness to sail in an emergency.
The information provided by the survey will allow MARAD to:
clarify the issues regarding the existence of mariner shortages,
assess mobilization readiness,
tailor training and recruitment programs to specific shortage areas, and
justify resource needs.
The 2002 Mariner Survey was developed with the additional goal of providing
validation of some findings from the earlier study and offering a more detailed
look at the difficulty of locating mariners.
