KOCHI: After installing drive-through container scanner at International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Customs Department is all set to install a new mobile scanner at the port soon. With the introduction of the mobile scanner, checking of incoming and outgoing containers will become foolproof.
Last year, Customs had introduced a highly advanced drive-in scanner using Gamma-Ray technology at ICTT. However, citing radiation and subsequent health issues, many stakeholders and drivers had come out gainst it. Later, following the intervention of the Labour Department, it was decided that the container picked up for scanning will be driven by designated drivers deployed at the port. The scanner was installed spending Rs 40 crore.
Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said the installation of mobile scanner would enhance the local risk management system. “The Union Government had directed five ports across India, including Cochin Port, to set up mobile scanners. Containers to be checked using the drive-through scanner are picked by the office of Director General, Risk Management System (RMS), Mumbai. The mobile scanner will be used for local risk management system as part of which Customs can pick the containers for scanning. It will ensure foolproof movement of import and export cargo,” he said.
The mobile scanner will be installed on a truck. As the truck moves near the container, materials loaded inside will get scanned. “In case of any suspicion, the container will be shifted to container freight station for detailed examination. The mobile scanner uses X-ray technology compared to Gamma-ray technology used in the drive-through scanner,” Sumit Kumar said.
Cochin Port Trust (CPT) will arrange infrastructure, including mobile scanner and building. An area inside ICTT has been identified where the mobile scanning activities will be carried out. The equipment can scan up to 30 containers per hour. “We expect to commission it within a year. Talks are in final stages,” he said.
Customs is also planning to set up a rail scanner to examine containers brought to the port through rail route. The rail scanner will be installed on a rail track and containers passing through the track will be automatically scanned. “Though ICTT has rail connectivity, at present there is no container movement on the rail route. However, once goods train operations resume, the rail scanner will be helpful,” an official said.