Boeing along with the Delaware County Council has jointly made an announcement which states that the Delaware County has granted Boeing a multi-year contract for providing an integrated surveillance system for the north segment of the Delaware River.
The announcement also revealed that work would begin immediately on the $4.4 million contract. Jack Whelan, who is the Council Chairman has revealed that they were happy to take Boeing as a partner for increasing their ability of law enforcement for protecting the most important waterways in the nation. He further mentioned that in Delaware County, the Delaware River ran very close to two refineries, the Philadelphia International Airport, major railroad lines and an interstate highway. The County also has a bridge on which more than 35,000 vehicles travel every day and this shows how important it is to ensure the safety and security of the waterfront in the County.
Boeing would install and develop a suite of monitoring and surveillance systems for detecting potential threats to the river’s key resources. The areas close to the Marcus Hook, Commodore Barry Bridge and Hog Island would be concentrated on. The company would handle the design, procurement, integration, installation, maintenance and testing of the system. They would also be responsible for the training of emergency services personnel and law enforcement personnel for using these systems.
Roger Krone who is the President of Boeing Network & Space Systems has stated that the company recognizes the vital significance of protecting waterways and ports. He also stated that they were committed to using all their resources and experience for protecting the free flow of commerce and the nation’s infrastructure. The advanced development and contract acquisition portion pertaining to the port surveillance program was monitored by Boeing Phantom Works and then handed it to the Network & Space Systems for implementing the system.