As a courtesy to our audience, Maritime Commons will provide a daily compilation of nationally-relevant Federal Register Notices, or those notices that may impact a large segment of our readers. To provide comments for the public record, follow the Federal Register link for each individual notice. Please note, the Coast Guard cannot respond to comments on these notices outside of the Federal Register.

The Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it has issued its final rule, “TWIC – Reader Requirements; Delay of Effective Date.” This final rule delays implementation of TWIC readers for three years at facilities that handle certain dangerous cargoes (CDC) while allowing reader requirements for large passenger vessel facilities and one specific large passenger vessel to move forward.

The final rule is effective May 8, 2020.

The Coast Guard delayed the effective date for three categories of CDC facilities affected by the Aug. 23, 2016 final rule, “Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) – Reader Requirements.”

The three categories are:

1. Facilities that handle certain dangerous cargoes in bulk, but do not transfer these cargoes to or from a vessel.
2. Facilities that handle certain dangerous cargoes in bulk, and do transfer these cargoes to or from a vessel;
3. Facilities that receive vessels carrying certain dangerous cargoes in bulk, but do not, during that vessel-to-facility interface, transfer these bulk cargoes to or from those vessels. 

Facilities that receive passenger vessels certificated to carry 1,000 passengers or more and one large passenger vessel will have to meet the regulations of the 2016 Reader Requirements.

Facility and vessel owners or operators with specific questions regarding the requirements of these regulations should contact their local Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP).  A listing of individual COTP contact information is available on Coast Guard Homeport under “Port Directory.”

Important dates associated with the regulation:

• May 8, 2020– TWIC – Reader Requirements; Delay of Effective Date final rule effective date.
• June 7, 2020 – Implementation date for passenger vessel facilities and one large passenger vessel.

For more information about the final rule, view the Federal Register notice or Marine Safety Information Bulletin 05-20. Frequently Asked Questions are also available in a separate Maritime Commons post.

Contact Lt. Cmdr. Kevin McDonald at (202) 372-1120 or CGFAC@uscg.mil with any questions.

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.