Securing Louisiana鈥檚 Energy Infrastructure
July 20, 2020
Building a Protective Cyber Dome Over Port Fourchon
海角社区鈥檚 applied research entity, Stephenson Technologies Corporation, has won a $25 million federal contract for groundbreaking work to protect Louisiana鈥檚 energy infrastructure. Specifically, the award from the U.S. Department of Defense鈥檚 Naval Research Laboratory will create a digital dome protecting Port Fourchon and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, or LOOP, the nation鈥檚 only offshore deepwater port.
Over the next five years, the project will deliver a digital dome spanning Port Fourchon and its connection to the LOOP. That system will collect, interpret, and fuse electromagnetic signals. Cyber threats will be identified and removed, while intelligence about nautical risks will be shared with coastal enforcement agencies to protect people, vessels, and cargo.
Port Fourchon serves 90% of deepwater oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico, connects to 50% of U.S. refining capacity, and handles approximately 15% of the nation鈥檚 domestic and foreign oil shipments. Over 250 companies operate at Port Fourchon, with daily traffic of up to 400 large supply vessels.
STC will design and build the digital dome to protect these assets and the people who operate them. The dome will be known as the Port Urban and Nautical Unified Shield, or PORTUNUS.
Aerial view of Port Fourchon.
鈥淚n viewing the Iron Dome that Israel created to protect its air defense systems, we glimpsed what [海角社区鈥檚] Stephenson Technologies Corporation could create to protect our nation鈥檚 most vital energy gateway at Port Fourchon. Not only will this project provide critical protection for the U.S. energy supply, STC鈥檚 work will advance Louisiana鈥檚 growing base of cybersecurity and IT talent.鈥�
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards