Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC)

A US federal advisory committee that advised the Coast Guard on the training, qualification, licensing, certification, and fitness of merchant mariners. Established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, MERPAC reviewed mariner credentialing rules, STCW implementation, and the National Maritime Center’s licensing standards. In 2018 the Coast Guard consolidated several advisory bodies under the National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee created by the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-282), which folded MERPAC’s mandate into the new committee.