Maybe some of the same logic might be applied to those pesky Transportation Worker Identification Credential (or TWIC) cards have been back in the news lately. indeed, the Coast Guard – which strives for practicality in everything it does – has actually begun to integrate the TWIC with processes surrounding its Merchant Mariner Credential. All these machinations are instructive for port managers; duplicative procedures across the spectrum of a port’s operations, and inefficiencies of all types, could be ripe for streamlined processing.
In the instant case, the first batch of TWIC cards that was issued – which became effective in mid 2007 – will soon come up for expensive renewals. This comes on the heels of a Transportation Security Administration announcement that as many as 26,000 cards had been incorrectly coded, making them unreadable by the card readers.
But, that’s not a problem because many ports and terminals do not actually have the readers, which are to be installed by the TSA. In a small but prescient step, the Coast Guard has allowed certain crew (on smaller vessels including many towboats) to forego the TWIC renewals provided they have a valid Merchant Mariner credential. The latter requires a background check.
The contents of the Coast Guard’s late December, 2011 Policy Letter, outlining its new stance regarding the TWIC, shows the depth of thought that has gone into the new slightly relaxed procedures. Implications for vessel inspections, and for the costs incurred by mariners ($132 to acquire the TWIC) were considered, and are discussed.
With the election season now in full bloom, questions about the role of government are legitimate and need to be on the table. A House committee’s report on the TSA, issued in November, 2011, concluded that: “TSA‘s primary mission, transportation security, has been neglected due to the agency‘s constant focus on managing its enormous and unwieldy bureaucracy.”
In this report, the TWIC is celebrated… as a learning aide, showing mistakes to be avoided in the realm of aviation security. Readers should be inspired by the Coast Guard’s words in its December letter: “The Coast Guard is implementing policy changes to lessen the impact of existing regulations on affected mariners.”
