BearingPoint To Help Secure New York, New Jersey SeaportsBearingPoint To Help Secure New York, New Jersey Seaports

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has tapped IT services and consulting vendor BearingPoint to participate in a federal program that aims to use technology to safeguard shipping supply chains and marine terminals from terrorist strikes.

Under a $13.8 million deal, BearingPoint will manage the Port Authority's participation in the federally funded Operation Safe Commerce. Under the program, six private companies, including Sara Lee Corp., have voluntarily subjected their international supply chains to scrutiny from government agencies and security contractors in an effort to find and fix security vulnerabilities that terrorists could exploit by, say, placing a bomb on a container bound for New York.

Jim Havelka, VP of BearingPoint's global trade-management practice, says the vendor will evaluate how tracking technologies such as RFID and GPS can be used to help secure cargo as it moves through international trade routes. "We'll also be looking at ways to better follow the money flows that surround the shipments," he says. As part of the program, BearingPoint will help the Port Authority implement software from Riskwatch Inc., which offers an application designed to help ports and terminals comply with federal and international security requirements.

The Port Authorities for Los Angeles/Long Beach and Seattle/Tacoma are also participating in Operation Safe Commerce, which is funded by the federal Transportation Security Agency.