R20-m X-ray scanner will root out fraud at container terminals

PORTNET WILL invest R20-million in the purchase of an X-ray scanner to be installed at the Durban container terminal early next year.
The unit will enable Portnet and Customs & Excise to accurately identify the contents of containers, assess appropriate customs duties and wharfage, and at the same time detect contraband, fraud and falsification of documents.
A second unit is planned either at City Deep or Cape Town at a later stage.
Sihle Mbonga, executive manager (Assets Protection and Risk Management) at Portnet commented: We cannot allow our ports to be used as corridors for illegal smuggling and drug trafficking. We also have to protect our own revenue and increase our responsibility to control import/export cargo movements in terms of the Customs Act.
The design of the X-ray scanner, a product of US-based American Science and Engineering Inc (AS&E), incorporates two patented techniques.
The first is a flying spot X-ray beam which is safer than comparable systems, according to Portnet, the second a Z-backscatter technique which is effective at detecting organic substances like drugs, plastic explosives etc, even when concealed in a confused and cluttered environment.
Sales and marketing manager of AS&E, Peter Harris, says that the system will inspect the containers quickly and efficiently and at an affordable price. Should it become necessary, at a later stage, to introduce the system at the smaller ports, a half-version consisting of one container accommodating all the equipment could be introduced.
Disruption to the flow of cargo is likely to be minimal. The average total scanning times, including handling, are four minutes for 20 foot containers and six minutes for 40-footers.
Although Durban handles an average 72 000 full containers per month, scanning would not cause a delay in container flow as they will be inspected on a random selective basis.