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Transportation Workers News

23 Feb 2023

Help Wanted: Build a New Industry

(Photo: Atlantic Wind Transfers)

When Atlantic offshore wind (OSW) projects move into high gear they will kick-start a series of impacts affecting almost the entire East Coast economy, from logistics to transportation to utility projects and, of course, just about every aspect of port and maritime activities.The related topics of workforce development and employment are among the fundamental issues being pushed and pulled by OSW. How workforce development and education and training proceed – and succeed – will be critical for the U.S.

25 May 2022

US Inland Waterways: Big Money, New Projects, Help Wanted

(Photo: North Mississippi Industrial Development Association)

New federal money promises dramatic impacts throughout the United States’ inland waterways system in 2022 and beyond. This report focuses on America’s central rivers; the Western rivers will be covered in a future report. These central rivers reach 11,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Texas to South Dakota.Consider the money within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Civil Works Program Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 2022 Construction Spend Plan.”In Arkansas…

05 Jun 2020

Canada Recommends Mariners Wear Face Coverings

© matpit73 / Adobe Stock

Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced he is expanding the requirements for the use of face coverings by workers and others involved in the country's transportation industry to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.Transport Canada and the transportation industry had already implemented measures such as increased sanitization, health checks for passengers, and allowing passengers to remain in their vehicles on ferries. The new measures requiring face masks are aimed at points in the transportation system where workers must be in close proximity to co-workers and travelers…

20 Mar 2020

Dredging: Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce

(Photo: Dredging Contractors of America)

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released guidance to help state and local jurisdictions and the private sector identify and manage their essential workforce while responding to COVID-19.The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) helped the federal government develop this first-of-a-kind guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.“This is why Government Coordinating Councils and Sector Coordinating Councils are so important.

06 Aug 2014

AWO Praises Simplification of TWIC Process

Tom Allegretti, AWO President & CEO

Last week, the Transportation Security Administration began nationwide implementation of a program that reforms the burdensome process by which mariners and other transportation workers receive required Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC). The TWIC OneVisit program eliminates the requirement that workers make two trips to a TWIC enrollment center to pick up and then activate their TWIC. Under the new, streamlined process, a mariner can apply for a TWIC at an enrollment center and opt to receive the credential by mail.

11 Nov 2013

Insights: Dennis L. Bryant, Bryant’s Maritime Consulting

Dennis L. Bryant retired from the U.S. Coast Guard with the rank of Captain after 27 years active duty. His billets included serving on the icebreaker NORTHWIND for several years including in 1969 when it escorted the tanker MANHATTAN through the Northwest Passage (this was back in the old days, when there was real ice in the Arctic). He also spent various tours as a law specialist, including an assignment as the Coast Guard’s Law of the Sea officer. He also served a tour in the…

26 Jun 2013

USA Maritime Applauds Continuation of 'Food for Peace' Program

Image credit US Government

USA Maritime praises the House of Representatives for rejecting the Royce-Engel amendment that would have dramatically altered the existing PL 480 Food for Peace Program. The action in the House, according to USA Maritime Chairman James Henry, “Demonstrates a clear recognition that this cornerstone of America’s foreign aid programs is not only the most successful in addressing world hunger but provides numerous important economic and national security benefits to the American people.

05 Apr 2013

UK Statutory Residence Test Does Away with Grey Areas

International accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens says the introduction by the UK of a statutory residence test will bring much greater certainty to an area previously decided largely on the basis of case law and government practice. The UK is introducing the statutory residence test with effect from 6 April, 2013. Gill Smith, a tax partner with Moore Stephens, explains, “At present, there is no statutory definition of residence, but rather case law and HMRC practice. Under the new test, individuals will always be resident if they spend 183 days in the UK. As is the case now, a day counts if the individual is in the UK at midnight. Automatic residence is also achieved if individuals are working in the UK full-time or, broadly, have their only home there.

04 Jan 2013

AWO Applauds Passage of Coast Guard Bill

Tom Allegretti, AWO’s President & CEO

Maritime Workers Applaud Congressional Passage, Presidential Signature of Coast Guard Bill. On behalf of the American Waterways Operators (AWO) and its 350 member companies, AWO President & CEO Tom Allegretti thanked bipartisan leaders in Congress for passing and President Obama for signing the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act into law late last month. The bill contained several AWO-supported provisions, including legislation that simplifies the process for mariners…

27 Sep 2012

Washington State Ferries Contract for G4S Technology

Washington State Ferry: Photo credit CCL Wsiegmund

G4S Technology LLC wins Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division contract to upgrade security systems. G4S Technology LLC (formerly Adesta), a systems integrator and project management company for electronic security systems and communication networks, has been awarded a $3.8M contract from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division to provide security system upgrades. They will install new Milestone XProtect® Corporate Video Management Software (VMS).

06 Jun 2012

AFL-CIO Affiliate: Port Security Bill has Sensible TWIC Reforms

The House Homeland Security Committee today approved needed reforms to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program that would eliminate financial and logistical burdens faced by transportation workers under this federal security program. The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) supports language in the Securing Maritime Activities through Risk-based Targeting Act, known as the SMART Port Security Act (H.R.4251), which would postpone requiring workers to renew TWIC cards in the absence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final regulations mandating biometric card readers. The bill also includes essential reforms to the enrollment, activation, issuance and renewal process.

09 Dec 2011

Legislation Aimed at Reducing TWIC Red Tape

Bill Would Reform Enrollment Process in Flawed TWIC Program. U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) introduced legislation today that would reform the burdensome enrollment process of the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC) program, which provides biometric identification cards to mariners and other transportation workers in order to allow them unescorted access to secure areas of ports, vessels, and other maritime facilities. Under current rules, merchant mariners, port employees, truck drivers, and other workers are required to make repeated visits to a TWIC enrollment center in order to apply for and obtain credentials.

29 Apr 2011

Seafarers’ Center Grand Reopening

On May 17, 2011, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) hosts the Grand Reopening of its International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark, NJ. SCI undertook a major renovation of the Center, completing construction late last year, to establish a first-rate facility for the global shipping industry working in the Port of New York and New Jersey, the East Coast’s largest port. “The welfare of international trade in the Port of New York and New Jersey hinges on this Center,” says the Rev. David M. Rider, President & Executive Director of SCI.

15 Apr 2011

Connecticut Solicits for Marine Pilot Apprentice

As authorized by the Connecticut General Statute Sec 15-13 and detailed in Sections 15-15a-6 and 15-15a-7 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation is soliciting applications from qualified mariners interested in applying for the Connecticut Apprentice Marine Pilot Training and Certification Program. Please provide the following information in writing to Mr. 1. Name and contact information. 2. Social Security number. 3. Date of birth. 4. Educational History (names of school, years graduated). 5. Dated copy of most recent physical examination (see Connecticut Regulations Sec. 15-15a-10). 6. Copy of Federal license held (grade and date). 7. Copy of Endorsements to Federal license.

26 Jan 2010

Conn. Marine Pilot License Solicitation

As authorized by the Connecticut General Statute Sec 15-13, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation is soliciting applications from qualified mariners interested in receiving a marine pilot license from the State of Connecticut to work on the Connecticut side of the Joint Rotation of Pilots. Transportation Workers Identification Card certification. Additional Pilotage Experience (outside of the waters described above). Contact information (mailing address, e-mail address, telephone, fax, etc). Failure to submit all documents required will disqualify the applicant from consideration. Applicants will be required to take a written examination on a date, time and place to be determined as part of the application process.

01 May 2009

Crowley, 100% Compliance with TWIC

Continuing announced that all of its employees, who needed Transportation Workers Identification Credentials (TWIC) by the final mid-April deadline, have them. More than 600 Crowley terminal and port workers in Port Everglades, Pennsauken, Jacksonville, San Juan and St. Thomas and more than 1,000 merchant seamen from Alaska to Puerto Rico obtained TWIC credentials during a series of rolling federal deadlines. To ensure compliance and business continuity Crowley helped employees get their credentials by reimbursing the cost of the cards…

19 May 2008

Controlling Maritime Security Cost

It is expected that the USCG will begin stepping up compliance measures and holding companies more accountable to the codes and regulations of the Maritime Security Act of 2002 (MTSA). The anticipated actions by the USCG, combined with the current cost of normal security procedures, will make it increasingly more difficult for companies to balance compliance with manageable security budgets. In addition, companies that lack the knowledge and experience to maintain full compliance run the risk of compounding the cost burden with regulatory financial penalties. Complicating matters even further, affected U.S. companies must now also comply with the Safety and Security of Every Port Act (Safe Port) and the Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC).

06 Mar 2008

Georgia Ports Authority Completes TWIC Enrollment

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has completed the initial employee enrollment process for the Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC) program. The federally mandated TWIC requirement created by the Department of Homeland Security is a common identification credential for individuals requiring unescorted access to secure or restricted areas of seaports. The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) opened the TWIC Enrollment Center in Savannah, Ga. in November 2007. Since November, the GPA has enrolled all of its employees in Savannah and Brunswick. “The cooperation of all port users is required to ensure the program’s successful implementation in Georgia,” said GPA’s Executive Director Doug J. Marchand.

12 May 2004

Security: Security of Ports and Vessels: A New Approach

Clearly, the maritime industry is one of the most powerful drivers of international commerce and economic vitality in the world. • The worldwide fleet of marine containers - a transportation cargo unit that can hold up to 500 computer monitors - is nearly 11 million. • The European Union, which is the main trading partner for two thirds of the world, in 2001 exported EUR 981 billion and imported EUR 1,027 billion. • The global ocean-liner shipping industry owns approximately $155 billion in vessels, containers, marine terminals and other direct operating assets now in service around the world. • Almost 16 million Americans work in port-related jobs, producing $210 billion in federal, state and local taxes annually.

07 Jul 2004

Feature: Secure Seas, Open Ports

As new international and domestic regulations regarding shipping security enter force, the focus is not simply on security, but also on maintaining a healthy flow of commerce to keep the U.S. and world economy humming. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge recently announced the implementation of new security measures designed to build upon the layers of security that are already in place at the nation's ports. The new measures, required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act, add additional security protections to every port in the United States. Port and vessel protection continues to remain one of the Department of Homeland Security's highest priorities.

12 Aug 2004

TSA to Test New ID Card

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the award of a $12 million contract to BearingPoint, Inc. to begin the Prototype Phase of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). This is the third phase in developing a program to improve security at seaports, airports, rail, pipeline, trucking and mass transit facilities by creating a nationwide credential that will prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to secure areas. "The TWIC program is a win-win for transportation workers and for the security of our homeland," said Rear Adm. David M. Stone, USN (Ret.), Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for TSA.

22 Jul 2002

House of Representatives Issue Conference Report

The U.S. House of Representatives issued the Conference Report on H.R. 4775, the 2002 Supplemental Appropriations Act for Further Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States. The following items may be of particular interest to the maritime community. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) received $2 million to address critical mapping and charting backlog requirements. Of the unobligated balance available, $5 million previously appropriated to the Maritime Administration for the federal maritime loan guarantee program (Title XI) is rescinded. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) received $105 million for additional port security grants…

16 Oct 2007

TWIC Sign Up Begins

Doug Affleck watches a computer monitor as he scans in Ward Gagnon's fingerprints at the port here Monday, Oct. 15, 2007. Gagnon is one of several transportation workers who applied for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential card at the Port of Wilmington, the nation's first port to start taking applications for the card. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi