The Port of South Louisiana was awarded $955,339 in Port Security grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funding will go toward the enhancement of the Port of South Louisiana’s cyber security framework, as well as support enhancements to its Geographic Information System (GIS) that will provide up-to-date spatial information to port security personnel and public safety agencies in the Port’s 54-miles of jurisdiction along the lower Mississippi River.

As the nation’s leading grain exporter and one of the Western Hemisphere’s largest tonnage ports, the safety and security of the Port of South Louisiana, its personnel, and its tenants is critical during these challenging times. The cyber and terrorist threat landscape is evolving rapidly and protecting against potential external threats requires rapid monitoring and response.

“The commerce that happens along the Lower Mississippi River at the Port of South Louisiana is intertwined with the national security of the United States,” said Paul Matthews, Chief Executive Officer. “We are grateful to our federal partners for awarding these funds, which will go directly toward solidifying the sustainment of cyber security protection and assist in preventing an outside threat of causing human loss of life, structural devastation, or economic catastrophe.”

The Port of Louisiana received $695,389 for enhanced cyber security. This project is for the enhancement of the Port of South Louisiana’s cyber security framework.  It includes the following integrated layers of cyber security technologies: installation, configuration, initial and continuous assessment, 24/7 monitoring, management and vulnerability scanning, real-time detection, network remediation, quarterly penetration testing, advanced training, troubleshooting, decryption of ransomware encryption, and related functions to protect against technology advancement of cyber terrorist threats. The Port of South Louisiana will make a 25% match for a total project cost of $927,186.

The Port also received $259,950 for GIS Acquisition Phase 1. GIS is currently used by the Port as a tool for business development, to depict available sites within the district along with adjacent and/or proximate transportation infrastructure such as rail lines, pipelines, water lines, etc. The investment supports the improvement of the GIS that will provide up-to-date spatial information via a web viewer to port security personnel and public safety agencies in the Port’s 54-miles of jurisdiction along the lower Mississippi River, thus improving maritime domain awareness significantly; also the project will provide up-to-date information to maintain port-wide risk management for critical infrastructure, transportation and utility networks, and the location of hazardous materials. The Port of South Louisiana will make a 25% match for a total project cost of $346,600.