Will Boston Get Whacked on TWIC Compliance?

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC, is a biometric credential for transportation workers in major U.S. ports. Created as a result of The Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA), the TWIC program is handled by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard. It launched in Delaware in October 2007 and came to Boston shortly thereafter.

Today, the Coast Guard will start checking to make sure all port workers in New England have their TWICs on hand as they should. The TWIC is a biometric credential resistant to tampering and is required for unescorted access to "ports, vessels, outer continental shelf facilities and all credentialed merchant mariners." Boston has over 70% TWIC activation, so most workers should be all set for a typical day on the job. Those who don't yet have credentials will require an escort to get into secure locations.

April 15, 2009, is the drop-deadline for everyone in the ports to have a TWIC. No word on yet the deadline for ports to acquire TWIC readers, which even the Coast Guard doesn't yet have. So the fancy biometric features of the cards are rendered moot, and the enforcers can merely check for photos, expiration dates, and signs of tampering. That's TWICity TWICity TWICity Twhack--but what else can we expect from the government? Card readers are still being implemented to follow up with TWIC requirements. We're not holding our breath.

Boats photographed by GVladimer