TWIC Program Update – One million port and longshore workers, truckers and others at ports across the nation have enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. The program’s goal is to ensure that any individual who has unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels has received a thorough background check and is not a known security threat.
“American ports from coast to coast are more secure today because of the significant progress this program has made,” said Gale Rossides, acting administrator, Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “Enrolling 1 million workers in less than 18 months is a testament to the collaborative efforts of TSA and the United States Coast Guard on this important maritime security effort.”
Today, 36 of the 42 Captain of the Port Zones across the country require workers to have a TWIC. All ports must be in compliance with credential requirements by April 14, 2009. Port security personnel are trained to ensure workers have valid cards and Coast Guard officials are conducting random compliance inspections at these ports.
More than 150 fixed enrollment centers will ultimately vet more than 1.2 million maritime transportation system workers by the April deadline. In addition to fixed sites, more than 450 mobile enrollment sites have been deployed, registering workers at locations convenient to their places of employment.
(Ed. note: I received a this email today and thought if worthy of sharing.)
Captain Rodriguez:
It’s been interesting following your and your reader’s adventures with TWIC. I have a buddy who’s a long-haul trucker, and the stories he’s been telling me over the past few years regarding credentials (he’s certified to haul “hazardous waste,” among other things) have been fairly bizarre. More like East Germany under the Stasi than the good ol’ USA. Considering some of the past comments on your blog, you may find this interesting if you haven’t yet read it.
Regards, Mike F.
This via the New York Times: Blunt Federal Letters Tell Students They’re Security Threats
WASHINGTON — A German graduate student in oceanography at M.I.T. applied to the Transportation Security Administration for a new ID card allowing him to work around ships and docks.
What the student, Wilken-Jon von Appen, received in return was a letter that not only turned him down but added an ominous warning from John M. Busch, a security administration official: “I have determined that you pose a security threat.”
Similar letters have gone to 5,000 applicants across the country who have at least initially been turned down for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, an ID card meant to guard against acts of terrorism, agency officials said Monday.
The officials also said they were sorry about the language, which they may change in the future, but had no intention of withdrawing letters already sent.
With the help of our friends at Vessel Trax and many hours at the computer we have taken the list of Transportation Worker’s Identification Card ( TWIC ) Enrollment Locations from the TSA’s TWIC Info page and embedded them on the google map. Why the TSA has not done this already and is not blogging about TWIC is a question we can not answer but we are happy to take up their slack.
Four weeks ago, I had my original TWIC enrollment experience. The post is here.
Today I picked up my TWIC. Last Thursday I went online to see if the card was ready and the info said yes. I printed out the form and made an appointment to pick up the card for Monday at 08:15.
On Friday, I was close to the enrollment office (very close the $3.32 per gallon gas on the reservation – the lowest in town) in my hometown of Anacortes WA and decided to stop by to see if I could pick up the card. There was one person being processed and one person in line. Cool, I figured. The clerk asked if I had an appointment, I said no. When pressed to see if anyone had an appointment after the guy in the que, she said they didn’t know and I’d have to take my chances. What? A computerised system and the local office didn’t have access to the data base of appointments. Correct.
This morning’s experience was much better than I could have anticipated:
08:00 Arrival for 08:15 appointment
08:07 Seated for processing
08:16 Out the door with TWIC in hand
It is interesting, that they used my fingerprint to call up my record. I never gave my name.
You can check the status of your TWIC and make appointment to pick it up, if it’s ready, here.
Editorial Note: For an audio account of the TWIC experience click HERE
Are you familiar with Wikipedia? We have installed the same software running the site that put thousands of encyclopedia salesmen out of business. What do we plan on doing with the software? Giving it to you of course!
The new gCaptain wiki will offer a place for mate’s to share voyage plans, engineers to share drawing and everyone to share facts, photos and information about their favorite ships . First on the agenda is a dedicated TWIC page for U.S. mariners.
Before we launch the new feature, however, we need help. Namely a person familiar with editing Wikipedia who can administer our site. This is a paid position perfect for a cadet or young mariner. Contact us for more details.
It comes as no surprise that we in the United States are security aware. Possible threats create new legislation on a regular basis. Today, I enrolled for my Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC.) The office was due to be opened at 08:00. Here’s what happened.
07:57 I arrive at the Anacortes Wa. enrollment location, 5 miles from my home.
In an unusual turn of events the TSA (United States’ Transportation Security Agency) has launched a blog! While the review on NPR’s show “On The Media” was positive, with the agency reportedly solving problems identified by readers, you have to wonder about the name, “Evolution Of Security“, and the bloggers themselves. You can find the blogger profiles HERE but the following is an example;
Ethel
Hi! My name is Ethel and I’m from Wisconsin. I like music, I love ice cream, and I adore weird facts: Did you know that elephants can smell water from as far away as three miles? I joined the TSA about a year ago – prior to that I attended MIT where I earned degrees in Biology, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and had the amazing opportunity to work on projects like designing artificial gravity systems for NASA.
Noticeably missing is a total lack of coverage about issues related to TWIC - the Transortation Worker’s Identification card. We have also failed to find any discussion related to Maritime Affairs.
We only have two questions… When will the NMC or MARAD launch a blog? Will they be responsive to reader comments?
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