St. Louis – The Coast Guard is reminding the maritime community in the Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River zone that the deadline for regulated facilities to comply with the Transportation Workers Identification Credentials (TWIC) security guidelines is Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Beginning that day, the Coast Guard will begin enforcement of the new regulations.
The TWIC 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 security threat. All employees who require unescorted access to a facility mut have a valid TWIC card in their possession to be in compliance with the program.
All regulated vessels and Coast Guard licensed mariners have until April 15, 2009 to be in compliance.
Workers are able to pre-enroll for TWIC online at http://www.tsa.gov/twic. Pre-enrolling speeds up the process by allowing workers to provide biographic information and schedule a time to complete the application process in person. This step eliminates waiting at enrollment centers and reduces the time it takes to enroll.
For more information about TWIC and a complete list of enrollment sites, please visit the TSA TWIC Web site at www.tsa.gov/twic or the Coast Guard TWIC Web site at Homeport.
