In an effort to keep Maritime Commons subscribers informed on topics important to them, the Coast Guard’s Office of Port and Facility Compliance is providing this blog post on TWIC reader requirements for the immediate planning purposes of industry members and Coast Guard field units.

Over the course of conducting outreach supporting the publication of the TWIC – Reader Requirements Final Rule published August 23, 2016, the Coast Guard Office of Port and Facility Compliance identified a need to clarify application of the rule for those facilities that are considered Risk Group A under 33 CFR 105.253(a). While the Coast Guard evaluates the final rule’s provisions including the definition of “bulk or in-bulk” and the Coast Guard interpretation of the term “handle” as it applies to 33 CFR 105.253(a)(1), the following groups will be expected to comply with the requirements of the reader rule on its effective date of August 23, 2018:

1. Facilities that receive vessels certificated to carry more than 1,000 passengers; and
2. Facilities subject to 33 CFR 105.295

Guidance regarding how 33 CFR 105.295 is applied can be found in Policy Advisory Council Decision 20-04 – Certain Dangerous Cargo Facilities.

Facilities that do not fit into the above described groups, but are considered Risk Group A based on the final rule publication, should note the Coast Guard is considering the development of implementation guidance, policy determinations, and/or regulatory updates at this time. This clarification does not impact vessels that are classified as Risk Group A under 33 CFR 104.263(a).

For any Alternate Security Program holders with questions concerning eligibility, please contact Ms. Betty McMenemy at CG-FAC, for any case by case determinations. For facility security plan holders with questions concerning eligibility, please contact your local Captain of the Port for case by case determinations.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.