Morcom International has received a $153,000 award to develop a sea pollution tracking technology for the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. DHS said Wednesday it issued the award under phase one of the Silicon Valley Innovation Program's Maritime Object Tracking Technology solicitation.
The Virginia-based small business will further develop its Tracking Unit for Navigational Aid or TUNA technology to help the U.S. Coast Guard track oil spills, debris and various hazardous materials floating on seas and other bodies of water.
"We are looking forward to evaluating Morcom’s augmented design of TUNA and how it will benefit USCG missions,” said Wendy Chaves, manager of the Coast Guard's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation and Innovation program.
The existing TUNA technology offers reusable batteries, GPS-based tracking and automatic identification, and is designed to function in saltwater environments. Morcom will use awarded funds to make TUNA capable of airdropping, as per USGC's requirements.