Coast Guard Mandating Worker ID Readers for High-Risk Vessels, Facilities
The agency's NPRM says 38 vessels and 532 facilities are affected by its proposed rule.
Increased security for vessels, ports, and other facilities against theft and terrorism are the main benefits of a new proposed rule from the U.S. Coast Guard that will require 38 vessels and 532 facilities to use electronic readers that work with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC, according to the agency.
The proposal will build on existing Coast Guard regulations meant to ensure that only authorized individuals are granted unescorted access to secure areas at certain types of locations.
The proposed rule would implement the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002’s transportation security card requirement, as well as the SAFE Port Act of 2006 electronic TWIC reader requirements. "The main benefit of this regulation, decreased terrorism risk, cannot be quantified given current data limitations," USCG said in the NPRM.