Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced The South Carolina Research Authority will receive $3,946,573 in federal funds to support port security initiatives being coordinated by Project Seahawk. Project Seahawk is a local, state, and federal task force under the direction of the South Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Senator Hollings was the driving force behind Project Seahawk and I look forward to building on his efforts to address port security,” said Graham. “Container security is of particular concern in South Carolina because Charleston is the fourth largest container port in the country. It is my hope that Project Seahawk will be a model for all U.S. ports.” The funds will be used to procure, implement, test, and evaluate a cargo container inspection system that incorporates backscatter and high energy transmission X-ray technology. Funding for this project was approved in the Fiscal Year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. ####