New Medical “Guidelines” For Mariners: heartburn for us and quicksand for the towing ind

And the hits just keep on coming! The Coast Guard has been steadily tightening the medical-standards noose lately and we’ll have some in-depth coverage on this scary situation soon, with details coming out of last week’s Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) meeting in Baltimore from two of our fellow mariners serving on TSAC. In the meantime, a deep-sea chief mate has an interesting take on the subject at Deep Water Writing, a blog worth checking out. Then, for your reading enjoyment, we have the Coast Guard’s new Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) #04-2008, Medical and Physical Evaluation Guidelines For Merchant Mariner Credentials, and enclosures 1, 2, 3, 3a, 3b, 4, 5 and 6. Warning: the Surgeon General has determined that use of this product may cause any or all of the following: heartburn, hypertension, chest pains, migraine headaches, hives, athlete’s foot, or irritable bowel syndrome. Consume at your own risk!