The Delaware River port system, considered a high-risk target of potential terrorists, will receive $12.3 million in federal funding to help local refineries and terminal operators improve security.
Sunoco Inc. will receive the most help, with grants totaling $3.2 million for its refineries and chemical plants on the Delaware River.
The state-run port authorities in Camden, Philadelphia and Wilmington will get more than $1.6 million each to tighten security and surveillance at public terminals.
Of 24 grants to local maritime agencies, port authorities, first-responder units, and private terminal operators, the Marcus Hook Police Department is among the top recipients, with a grant of $1.5 million.
Marcus Hook, a Delaware County riverfront community of 3,000, is sandwiched between two of the largest refineries in the region, Sunoco and ConocoPhillips, but its police have no boat for patrolling the waterway.
The grants are part of a national effort by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to shore up defenses at the nation's 361 ports. Congress has allocated $350 million for improving port security, and the department has earmarked an additional $75 million for high-risk ports, including Philadelphia.
In announcing the grants yesterday during a trip to Port Elizabeth, N.J., Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said they add layers to homeland defense.
"The protection of our ports - and the thousands of cargo containers that flow through them each day - is a critical focus area of homeland security," Ridge said.
The Delaware River port system is among the higher-risk ports because of the large concentration of oil and chemical tankers that use it. With seven refineries in the region, Philadelphia imports more petroleum than any other port on the East Coast.
But even with the elevated fear that a tanker or refinery could be the target of a terrorist strike, the local maritime industry has struggled to finance improvements in security.
Gerald Davis, a spokesman for Sunoco, said the company would not publicly comment on its specific plans for using the federal grants.
But he defended the use of tax dollars for a private oil company, saying the grant money would benefit more than just Sunoco.
"This is an investment in the security and well-being of the community," Davis said. "Congress has decided that money be made available to fund enhanced security measures at the nation's ports and facilities, and Sunoco is participating in this process."
