Savannah, GA – March 4, 2008 – The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has completed the initial employee enrollment process for the Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC) program.  The federally mandated TWIC requirement created by the Department of Homeland Security is a common identification credential for individuals requiring unescorted access to secure or restricted areas of seaports.

The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) opened the TWIC Enrollment Center in Savannah, Ga. in November 2007.  Since November, the GPA has enrolled all of its employees in Savannah and Brunswick.  “The cooperation of all port users is required to ensure the program’s successful implementation in Georgia,” said GPA’s Executive Director Doug J. Marchand.

Applicants are required to visit the Enrollment Center located at 5214 Augusta Road in Garden City, Ga.  Each applicant is required to provide biographic information, sign a disclosure form, provide a complete set of fingerprints, sit for a digital photograph, provide the necessary identity verification documents and pay an enrollment fee of $132.50.  The credential is valid for five years.

“All transportation workers and port users who require access to GPA’s facilities are strongly encouraged to apply for the TWIC card,” said Marchand. “Individuals without a TWIC card cannot gain unescorted access to secure or restricted areas of the port.”

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 286,476 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $14.9 billion in income, $55.8 billion in revenue and $2.8 billion in taxes to Georgia’s bustling economy.