Shippers divert cargo to avoid Durban scanner

SHIPPERS DIVERTING cargo to Cape Town and Port Elizabeth to avoid scrutiny by Durban’s recently-installed X-ray scanner will soon have no place to hide. SA Revenue Service has purchased two more scanners to be based in the ports of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth later this year, Sars customs projects and initiatives manager Andre Kritzinger told delegates at last week’s Ciltsa airfreight conference in Gauteng. The R20m scanner was installed in Durban in February and is already paying for itself in busts and timesaving, said Kritzinger. “Fifty containers can be scanned in an eight hour shift which has dramatically reduced the time it takes to process containers. “The scanner saves between R7 000 and R30 000 per container as unpacking is no longer necessary.” Developed by China-based Nutech, it is also being used to scan supposedly empty containers which are often used to smuggle goods – it has so far successfully detected drugs, currency, undeclared cars and even stowaways.