Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced Seiler International Corporation (SEICOR) of Charleston has been awarded a $1,991,000 research and development contract for its shipboard automated container and cargo transfer system (AutoLog). Graham secured funding for the project in the Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Appropriations Act. The SEICOR team will design and build a one-quarter scale version of the robotic Autolog system in this phase for installation and testing aboard the Navy's research vessel MV Independence. AutoLog has been developed to meet the Navy's need for a shipboard crane system capable of rapidly transferring containers in high sea states in support of vital sea basing operations. “South Carolina companies supply the men and women of our armed forces with cutting edge technology,” said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Projects such as this are a boon to our state’s economy, and demonstrate the skill and dedication of South Carolina’s workforce.” The contract was awarded by the U.S. Navy. Graham originally announced the project after Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Appropriations Act. ####