Really, are you surprised? This whole program is total pork with very little increase to the actual security of our nation. The TWIC card is basically worthless, since no port that I have tried to access will allow you in unless you also have a port badge. Wasn’t the TWIC supposed to prevent exactly this from happening?! Also, govenrment in all their wisdom thought that they would only need to open mulitple temporary offices to handle the initial start up of the program, so they only hired temporary low wage workers and we, the customers (US citizens), get to experience the predictable result. I will allow that the woman I dealt with at the TWIC office was nice enough, but the atmosphere in the officer and the professionalism of the other employees leaves a lot to be desired.
This whole thing is a fiasco and totally worthless, since anyone with half an IQ already knows that if you want to attack merchant shipping in the US all you need is a 20’ boat, the biggest engine you can strap on the stern and some explosives. Next time you go into a port look at the security at the gate and ask yourself, “Do you think these guys could react fast enough to stop a large truck speeding at the gate filled with crazies shooting at them with high powered weapons?”. All of this port security is a joke and we know it. The government opened Pandora’s Box after 9/11 and the panic that ensued by allowing the security firms to begin mandating their own services. They immediately issued reports calling for more security in almost every manner conceivable.
The marginal increase in security does not offset the inconvenience and cost that we are now subjected to. This would be denied by security experts, but next time you hear one speak keep in mind that they stand to benefit substantially by convincing the port authorities and elected officials that we are in grave danger.