TWIC’s Last Hurdle is Scaled
Card reader technology is tested, proven and in use, nationwide. While the maritime industry awaits the Fed’s edict on MTSA, the solution already exists. The Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) requires that individuals needing unescorted access to MTSA-regulated Facilities and Vessels must first obtain a TWIC. To obtain a TWIC Card, an individual must meet certain eligibility requirements and pass a security threat assessment conducted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Individuals are then issued a tamper-resistant credential containing the cardholders biometric fingerprint data, which provides a conclusive link between the card and the individual cardholder. To date, more than 2 million of these credentials have been issued.
Tests on New Technology To Secure Cargo Movement
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced the successful completion of a test of new technology that will help to secure cargo containers entering ports and border crossings throughout the United States. The test, carried out through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program, involved the use of electronic seals (E-Seals), a radio frequency device that transmits shipment information as it passes reader devices and indicates if a container has been compromised. “This new technology will help to enhance the security of our nation’s transportation system by enabling us to track cargo shipments into the United States,” Secretary Mineta said.
GOVERNMENT: Terrorism Threat and the Immediate Reaction
by Dennis L. When the federal government began examining United States vulnerabilities in the days following the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it quickly became apparent that significant weakness existed on the U.S. maritime borders. Many, but not all, of these weaknesses were systemic and derived from both the U.S. open society and the procedures underlying modern maritime commerce. The goal quickly became to reduce the risk of maritime terrorism while not fundamentally altering the efficiencies of the commercial system. It was quickly realized that the threat to the maritime sector consisted of two distinct types: explosives and other contraband being shipped as cargo (particularly in a container) and the ship being used as a weapon…
OMSA Officials Testify At TWIC Hearing
The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program is overly complex and could create the same delays for the maritime industry that recent changes in passport rules caused for American travelers, according to testimony by Offshore Marine Service Association Vice Chairman Otto Candies, III. Candies’ delivered his comments at a July 12 Congressional hearing. The hearing was held by the Coast Guard and Marine Transportation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to assess the progress on the TWIC Program. At the hearing, witnesses from the Transportation Security Agency and the Coast Guard acknowledged that the program is roughly six months behind schedule.
