Marine Log - February 2008 - (Page 17)

INSIDEWASHINGTON Cummings to Lockheed, TSA and USCG: Fix TWIC L ast month the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program again came under scrutiny at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. It’s had a number of challenges and glitches. One challenge is that TSA originally thought 750,000 individuals would need the cards. The actual total looks likely to exceed one million. One farcical element of the program brought to light by Rep. James L. Oberstar, Chairman of the Coast Guard panel’s parent Transportation Committee, involves mariners who own or operate six-pack vessels (charter boats carrying less than six passengers). They have to obtain a TWIC card simply because they are a Coast Guard credentialed mariner. “In many cases, such as fishing guides and charter boat captains, they are the only personnel on their vessel—so why should they have to have a TWIC card reader to gain access to their vessel?” asked Oberstar. As ever, subcommitte Chairman Congressman Elijah E. Cummings was relentless about holding those involved with implementing the program to their responsibilities. He called upon Lockheed Martin (the contractor responsible for implementing the current phase of the program) and the U.S. Coast Guard to address the issues impeding a seamless introduction of the program. “When workers must pay to enroll in a program necessary for them to do their jobs and provide for their families, they have the right to expect reliable, efficient service with little to no interruption to their schedules,” Congressman Cummings said. “It is imperative that Lockheed Martin address the concerns raised during today’s hearing regarding its customer service— including through assurances that every new enrollment center is ready and able to smoothly operate on day one.” According to reports from the first 90 days of TWIC enrollment, workers enrolling in the program have experienced deficiencies in customer service, ranging from dysfunctional computers and loss of worker data to delays of up to five hours. One station expected to serve over 30,000 people was staffed with only one employee. Another closed for the day when its printer ran out of toner. Though an enrollment deadline has been set for mariners, the Coast Guard has yet to announce the dates when ports must begin using the credentials. There has also been no clearly established outline distinguishing which vessels must install the machine to read the TWIC cards or setting deadlines for land facilities to install them. “The Coast Guard must separate from its long history of delays in the promulgation of rules so that mariners and businesses affected by TWIC are able to plan accordingly," said Congressman Cummings. He instructed the TSA, the Coast Guard, and Lockheed Martin to provide a status report on the TWIC enrollment process within 75 days. a world of Knowledge a world of Service a world of Products Valves | Fittings | Tubing | Flanges | Couplings | Expansion Joints | Metals one World one Source www.worldwidemetric.com New Jersey Ph. 732.247.2300 Fax 732.247.7258 www.marinelog.com Florida Ph. 954.321.0784 Fax 954.321.2591 Texas Ph. 713.682.2400 Fax 713.682.2481 California Ph. 562.633.4141 Fax 562.633.3280 FEBRUARY 2008 MARINE LOG 17 http://www.worldwidemetric.com http://www.worldwidemetric.com http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - February 2008

Marine Log - February 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Cruise Growth: Driven by Megaships and Europe Another Piece of the Short Sea Transport Puzzle Putting Together a More Advanced Jones Act Tanker Evolving Propulsion Options for Diesel Electric Ships In Search of Smarter Shipbuilding Seatrade Peview Events Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Website Directory Infodirect ML Marketplace Opinions

Marine Log - February 2008

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