Certain sailors in the merchant marine need no longer possess an active Transportation Worker Identification Credential following the Coast Guard's Dec. 19 issuance of a policy letter (.pdf) that slightly relaxes credential requirements.

Under the letter, authorized as part of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, mariners already in possession of a TWIC don't need to renew it if they operate onboard ships not required to have a vessel security plan. Examples of such ships include uninspected passenger vessels less than 100 gross register tons and some towing vessels. Mariners on those ships who already have a TWIC will be able to skip TWIC renewal and simply apply for a merchant mariner credential at one of the 17 Coast Guard regional exam centers.

However, the Coast Guard cautions that skipping TWIC renewal could "significantly delay processing" of a MMC, since the background check would be conducted without the benefit of fingerprints.

New mariners who have never held a TWIC must apply for one regardless of the type of ship they serve on. The Coast Guard says in the policy letter that's because the TWIC and MMC enrollment processes have been intertwined.  

TWICs begin expiring this October, causing some in Congress to call on the Transportation Security Administration to extend the valid period of the credentials. Republican staff members of the House Homeland Security and Oversight and Government Reform committees have also criticized TSA for its management of TWIC.

The program "has been crippled by latent programmatic weaknesses," they said in a Nov. 16 report, noting that it has already cost nearly $500 million and could total $3.2 billion over a decade.

For more:
- download the Coast Guard policy letter, CG-543 Policy Letter No. 11-15 (.pdf)
- download a Dec. 23 Coast Guard letter announcing the new policy (.pdf)

Related Articles:
Thompson calls for TWIC extension 
GAO: TWIC introduces security vulnerabilities 
House committees call for TSA reform