DHS Agencies Announce Enrollment Dates for TWIC in 13 Ports

Market Wire, January, 2008

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced that enrollment in the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program will begin at 13 more locations in the coming weeks. This program ensures 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 known security threat.

TWIC enrollment began Oct. 16, 2007 at the Port of Wilmington, Del. The addition of these 13 locations will bring the number of fixed enrollment centers open for enrollment to 72. Ultimately, the program will be rolled out to 147 fixed enrollment sites and will vet more than 1 million workers through 2008.

"TWIC is one of the world's most advanced interoperable biometric systems and raises the bar on port security," said the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Maurine Fanguy, program director for TWIC. "We are off to a strong start with more than 50,000 enrollments in the first 100 days."

Today, the TSA released specific dates for the following ports:

Vicksburg, Miss.   Jan. 31, 2008  Oswego, N.Y.              Feb. 8, 2008
Muskegon, Mich.    Jan. 31, 2008  Port Everglades, Fla.     Feb. 8, 2008
Miami, Fla.        Jan. 31, 2008  LaPlata, Md.              Feb. 13, 2008
Ashtabula, Ohio    Feb. 6, 2008   Portland, Maine           Feb. 13, 2008
Everett, Wash.     Feb. 6, 2008   Lorain, Ohio              Feb. 20, 2008
Louisville, Ky.    Feb. 6, 2008   Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.   Feb. 21, 2008
Nashville, Tenn.   Feb. 8, 2008

Workers at these ports, as well as another 59 where enrollment has begun, are able to pre-enroll for TWIC on the TSA Web site ( www.tsa.gov/twic ). Pre-enrollment is intended to speed up the process by allowing workers to provide biographic information and schedule an appointment to complete the in-person enrollment process.

More information on the TWIC program is available at www.tsa.gov/twic and additional information on port security is available at the U.S. Coast Guard's Homeport site at http://homeport.uscg.mil by clicking on the Maritime Security link.