Transportation Worker Identification Credential

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (or TWIC) program is a Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Coast Guard initiative in the United States. The TWIC program provides a tamper-resistant biometric credential to maritime workers requiring unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities, outer continental shelf facilities, and vessels regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, or MTSA, and all U.S. Coast Guard credentialed merchant mariners. An estimated 750,000 individuals will require TWICs. Those seeking unescorted access to secure areas aboard affected vessels, and all Coast Guard credentialed merchant mariners, must possess a TWIC by April 15, 2009. [http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1209745179774.shtm] To obtain a TWIC, an individual must provide biographic and biometric information such as fingerprints, sit for a digital photograph and successfully pass a security threat assessment conducted by TSA.

Maritime Sector

While TWIC may be implemented across other transportation modes in the future, the TWIC Final Rule, published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2007, sets forth regulatory requirements to implement this program in the maritime mode first.

The program's goals are:

*Positively identify authorized individuals who require unescorted access to secure areas of the nation's maritime transportation system;
*Determine the eligibility of an individual to be authorized unescorted access to secure areas of the maritime transportation system;
*Enhance security by ensuring that unauthorized individuals are denied unescorted access to secure areas of the nation's maritime transportation system; and,
*Identify individuals who fail to maintain their eligibility qualifications after being permitted unescorted access to secure areas of the nation's maritime transportation system and revoke the individual's permissions.

Rollout issues

The Government Accountability Office has said the TWIC program has suffered from lack of oversight and poor coordination. Delays regarding developing and implementing card reader technology have meant that for the initial period TWIC cards will not be used in card readers. [http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/43463-1.html] [http://www.washingtontechnology.com/print/22_04/30243-1.html] Additionally, a number of organizations have complained at the financial impact the program will have on already highly regulated industries.

ee also

*Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002
*Merchant Mariner Credential
*SAFE Port Act

References

* [http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/index.shtm TWIC Program description by TSA]
* [http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/ContentViewer?objectId=09000064802c4d66&disposition=attachment&contentType=pdf TWIC Implementation in the Maritime Sector Final Rule, January 25, 2007]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/nvic/0-07/FINAL%20TWIC%20NVIC%2007-02-07.pdf U.S. Coast Guard's NVIC 03-07, "Guidance for the implementation of the TWIC Program in the maritime sector"]

External links

* [http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/index.shtm TWIC Program website by TSA]
* [https://twicprogram.tsa.dhs.gov/TWICWebApp/ Pre-enrollment page]