The Coast Guard is aware that as a result of the limited number of approved Qualified Assessors, there may be a hardship on mariners trying to complete STCW assessments after December 31, 2017. In consideration of this, the Coast Guard will continue to allow STCW assessments to be signed by an assessor who meets the requirements specified in NVIC 02-14 until December 31, 2019. These assessments must be submitted to the Coast Guard as part of a complete application no later than June 30, 2020.
Source: USCG
Link: 12/26/2017: Update to Qualified Assessor requirements