Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center Reopens—But Credentialing Backlog Could Stretch to a Year

The United States Coast Guard has resumed operations at its credentialing hub following the restoration of funding to the Department of Homeland Security, but the restart is unfolding under the weight of a backlog that could take months—if not longer—to unwind.

In a new update, the National Maritime Center (NMC) said it is returning to normal operations in a phased approach, prioritizing critical functions after the prolonged lapse in appropriations forced a shutdown of services. The system is back online, but it is far from caught up.

During the funding lapse, the NMC accumulated a backlog of more than 19,000 applications,