PORT TOWNSEND, Wash.--Intellicheck Mobilisa, a global leader in access control and wireless security systems, began pilot testing its TWIC reader handheld device at a major California seaport, representing the company’s second pilot test program in less than one month. IDN announced its initial TWIC reader pilot program with a major seaport in Washington State in mid-April.

“Our ruggedized mobile device, now undergoing pilot testing at two major ports in the United States, offers a flexible range of capabilities for improving port security,” said Dr. Nelson Ludlow, CEO of Intellicheck Mobilisa. “We are very excited to be working with the port on this pilot program, just one month after announcing our first pilot for the TWIC reader in Washington State. I am very pleased at the speed with which we’ve been winning these opportunities, first with Army and Naval ATO’s within months of each other and now with our TWIC pilots.”

The Transportation Worker Identity Credential, or TWIC, program is a Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Coast Guard initiative to provide tamper-resistant biometric identification cards to port facility workers. TWIC cards have become a mandatory requirement for access to all U.S. ports as of April 15, 2009. The Intellicheck Mobilisa TWIC reader handheld device is used to validate TWIC credentials; the company believes such a universal reader will ultimately be needed at each of the more than 175 seaports in the United States.

The objective of the pilot test is to evaluate the TWIC card scanning system in a real-world security environment.