Charleston, SC - Another life line is thrown to the Port of Charleston. More than one million containers and 2,000 ships come through the Port of Charleston every year. Making sure they are clear of terrorist threats is a job of massive proportions.

“We can help to prevent terrorism wherever the cargo that comes through Charleston goes,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Michael McAllister.

McAllister is one piece of the puzzle. Project Seahawk brings together local, state and federal agencies.

“Everyone is in the same room sharing information. They begin the day talking to each other, they end the day talking to each other. As a result I think we’ve created a model to make our ports as secure as possible,” U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (web | news | bio) said.

Graham joined agency leaders Friday to announce Project Seahawk will stay afloat. The project's funding ran out and was in danger of dying.

“It would have been dead by the end of the year,” Graham said.

The project will stay alive thanks to an $800,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security.  DOH Secretary Janet Napolitano visited the port earlier this year and the project's leaders made their case.

“You told a heck of a story. She was convinced we had to save this program. She was equally convinced we need to duplicate it,” Graham said.

Now, keeping our waterways safe and sharing the knowledge with the rest of the country.

“If we would have lost this program, we would have been less safe, as a nation, as a state as a city of Charleston,” Graham said.

The funding will sustain Project Seahawk for the next year. Senator Graham says the goal this year is to get DOH to pay for Project Seahawk permanently.

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