Due to the lapse in federal funding, the Coast Guard's National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) is not able to process commercial vessel documentation.

On its website, the NVDC says:

NOTICE: DUE TO THE LAPSE IN FEDERAL FUNDING, INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE MAY NOT BE UP TO DATE. TRANSACTIONS SUBMITTED VIA THIS WEBSITE MIGHT NOT BE PROCESSED AND WE CANNOT GUARANTEE A RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES UNTIL AFTER APPROPRIATIONS ARE ENACTED.

The NVDC is closed to the public until further notice. Phone service and customer walk-in service is suspended. Applications may continue to be e-mailed, faxed or mailed to the facility. Applications for commercial documentation will be processed when operations resume.

Applications for recreational documentation will continue to be processed on a first-in, first-out basis.  Recreational vessel owners who need to contact the NVDC may do so by sending an e-mail to: [email protected]

David Krapf retired in 2024 after serving as editor of WorkBoat, the nation’s leading trade magazine for the inland and coastal waterways industry, since 1999. During his tenure, Krapf oversaw the editorial direction of the publication, shaping its reputation as an industry leader. Krapf's career in publishing began in 1987 as a reporter and editor for daily and weekly newspapers in the Houston area. He also served as the editor of a transportation industry daily in New Orleans before joining WorkBoat as a contributing editor in 1992. With a career spanning decades, Krapf has been covering the transportation industry since 1989. He holds a degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Oswego and studied journalism at the University of Houston.