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Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard |
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| News Release |
Date: Oct. 22, 2008 Contact:
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(click on image for high resolution photo)
BOSTON — In this photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Mike MacDonald checks a worker's Transportation Worker Identification Credential at a port-side metal yard in Everett, Mass., Oct. 15, 2008. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 2nd Class Luke Pinneo)
(click on image for high resolution photo)
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In this photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, a truck driver shows his Transportation Worker Identification Credential to Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin Parrington and Ensign Cassidy Childs at the Motiva Enterprises fuel terminal Oct. 15, 2008. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Jorgensen)
Transportation Worker Identification Credential Program compliance off to good start
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday that the first week of enforcement of compliance with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential Program in Coast Guard Captain of the Port Zones Northern New England, Boston, and Southeastern New England has resulted in only 23 denials of entry to port facilities out of the nearly 20,000 port workers, longshoremen and truckers required to comply with the program by the region's enforcement deadline of Oct. 15, 2008.
Coast Guard field units in the region reported a successful kick-off of the compliance phase of the national maritime security program, noting that regulated port facilities in New England continued business as usual as they complied with regulations requiring all personnel needing unescorted access to secure areas of facilities carry a TWIC.
"The Coast Guard applauds owners and operators of regulated facilities for their tireless efforts in meeting this challenging mandate in addition to the thousands of transportation workers who were ready for compliance with a TWIC in hand," said Capt. Mark O'Malley, chief of the U.S.Coast Guard's Office of Port and Facility Activities. "We fully expect that this success will be realized across the country due to the diligence and fidelity of workers associated with the marine transportation system."
The credential is an additional means of security in America's ports. Owners and operators of facilities regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act have the option of either denying entry to secure areas by those workers who have not yet obtained their TWIC or providing escorts for those workers.
Compliance with and enforcement of the provisions of the TWIC Program is being conducted in phases. Port facilities located on the Great Lakes are required to comply with TWIC Program requirements by Oct. 31, 2008.
Information on the TWIC and a framework showing expected compliance dates by Captain of the Port Zone is available on the U.S. Coast Guard's Homeport Web site at http://homeport.uscg.mil/twic. Captain of the Port Zone maps with ports annotated are available on the Web site under General Information, COTP Zone Maps. Information is also available by calling 1-866-DHS-TWIC (1-866-347-8942) or 1-877-MTSA-AID (1-877-687-2243). For assistance via e-mail, please send queries to credentialing@dhs.gov.
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