I'm studying in my country at the Maritime University to become a deck officer in the Merchant Navy. I can only graduate after a 5-years program.
My father is a sailor since he was 19 years old. He worked on thousands of vessels world wide but never saw an American officer in the merchant navy.

Is your country a member of International Maritime Organization (IMO) ? Are your civil officers recognized around the wold ?
I saw on TV a 20years old american girl that held the license of Captain and she was in command of this pretty big ferry boat. Does your maritime regulations allow this girl to command a cargo ship of a 200.000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) since she's a licensed Captain ? I need 5-years of study to first become a Cadet then after 12 months seatime I can take my exam to become the lowest rank officer on the deck.

So, are there any USA civil officers in the International Merchant Navy ? I'm not talking about the officers from your inland/coastal waters, but the ones that voyage from let's say US to Germany or South Africa.

I'm sorry if my English is not that good.