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Eleventh Coast Guard District |
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| NEWS RELEASE |
DATE: CONTACT: |
Feb. 27, 2009 U.S. Coast Guard: U.S. Coast Guard: Transportation Security Administration: Nico Melendez, 310 387-8127 Port of Oakland: Marilyn Sandifur, 510 627-1193 |
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Feds' 'TWIC' card adds new layer of security to Northern California ports |
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SAN FRANCISCO - The requirement for owners and operators of maritime facilities in Northern California to ensure unescorted people entering secure areas of their property have a federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) goes into effect Saturday. Maritime transportation workers, including terminal employees, longshoreworkers, truck drivers, train crews, agents and contractors will need a TWIC card for access to U.S. regulated waterfront terminals and vessels in the area ports including Crescent City, Humboldt, Bodega Bay, Sacramento, Stockton, Richmond, San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Cruz and Monterey Harbor, Calif. The Transportation Security Administration is responsible for the enrollment and issuance of TWICs while the U.S. Coast Guard ensures facility operators are in compliance with all federal port safety and security regulations including use of TWICs. Enrollment into the TWIC program has been available to port workers in the Bay Area since November 2007. TSA and the Coast Guard have worked closely and extensively with affected industries and organizations to educate them about the TWIC requirement. Thousands of TWICs have been issued to workers in the region but as with any new system, officials believe there will be some people who arrive at facilities without the required card. Port officials, facility operators, and other organizations involved in port operations are prepared for Saturday's implementation and have plans for handling port workers and operators of vehicles who arrive without a TWIC to minimize any negative impacts on movement of cargo and port operations. The TWIC requirement is being phased in across the country and is already in place in dozens of ports including, New Orleans, St. Louis, Boston, Baltimore, and San Diego. Seattle, Wash., Portland, Ore., and other Pacific Northwest ports are also implementing TWIC requirements on Saturday.
TWIC enrollment centers for Northern California are located at:
Benicia TWIC Enrollment Center 2050 Park Road Benicia, CA 94510 Saturday: 7:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m., walk-ins only
Oakland Embarcadero TWIC Enrollment Center 1830 Embarcadero Ave, Suite 104 Oakland, CA 94606-5230 Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., walk-ins only
Oakland TWIC Enrollment Center Oakland Maritime Support Services (OMSS) 11 Burma Rd. Oakland, CA 94607 Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., walk-ins only
Richmond TWIC Enrollment Center 13201 San Pablo Ave., Suite 300 Richmond, CA 94806-3952 Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., walk-ins only
Sacramento TWIC Enrollment Center 3633 Seaport Blvd., Suite A West Sacramento, CA 95691-5042 Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., walk-ins only
San Francisco TWIC Enrollment Center 500 Sansome Street, Suite #202 San Francisco, CA 94111-3211 Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., walk-ins only
Stockton TWIC Enrollment Center 17 Fyffe Avenue Stockton CA 95203-4915 Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., walk-ins only
For TWIC help in English or Spanish please call the TWIC help desk at 1-866-347-8942 and for more information concerning TWIC please visit https://twicprogram.tsa.dhs.gov/. For more information concerning TWIC in the Port of Oakland please visit http://www.portofoakland.com/maritime/twic.asp
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