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"Rapid System" Cargo Tracking Demoed in Philly

Late in October, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell joined Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) Chairman Brian Preski, Esq. at PRPA's 106-acre Packer Avenue Marine Terminal to host a demonstration of a new cargo tracking system. The system, known as RAPID, is cargo-tracking and logistics technology recently developed by the Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council (DRMEC).

The centerpiece of the demonstration consisted of four Paladin Howitzers being discharged at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, as part of their journey to the Letterkenny Army Depot in Letterkenny, PA. The RAPID system was employed during every step in the transportation chain: moving the four Paladins via commercial trucking from Anniston, AL to the Military Traffic Management Command port facility in Charleston, SC; loading the four Paladins onto a U.S. Army Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessel and proceeding to Philadelphia's Packer Avenue Marine Terminal; discharging the Paladins from the LCU at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal and loading them directly onto rail cars; and moving the Paladins via Norfolk Southern/CSXT railroads to the Letterkenny Army Depot. The entire movement was completed by the end of October.

Specifically, the RAPID system coordinates the electronic tracking systems of all commercial vendors involved in shipments such as the one described above, and is especially valuable for critical military shipments where efficiency and speedy delivery are of primary importance. As described by the DRMEC, the RAPID system will enable the U.S. Department of Defense to leverage commercial transport and logistics assets to improve strategic mobility requirements during times of peace and national need while minimizing disruptions to commercial operations; the RAPID system supports high-value time-sensitive military and commercial shipments and includes all links in the transportation chain: vessels, ports, rail, highway, and inland facilities and commercial hubs.

"In October 2002, the Department of Defense designated the Port of Philadelphia as its newest Strategic Military Port," says PRPA Executive Director James T. McDermott, Jr. "Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command selected us as a berthing location for two of its LMSR vessels. We are very proud of these designations and are committed to doing our best to live up to the confidence shown in the Port of Philadelphia by the U.S. military." McDermott claims that the RAPID system will coordinate and help speed delivery of not only military cargoes, but commercial cargoes as well, benefiting all users of the port.

DRMEC is a Pennsylvania not-for-profit organization funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the United States Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Defense. DRMEC was created in 1999 to enable and promote rapid technology transfer and collaboration between commercial, government, military, and academic institutions for high-speed, time-sensitive commercial and military shippers and transporters.