BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 26, 2026
Ten Maine Maritime Academy students have had their Coast Guard licensing exams canceled due to the partial government shutdown, and 16 more might if the shutdown doesn’t end next week. The partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security also impacts the Coast Guard, which has closed its exam centers as a result. That could mean delayed graduation and work opportunities for students at the Castine school amid a nationwide mariner shortage that has raised alarms in recent years for the future of international trade and national defense.