Tema Port X-ray scanner attracts Israelis

The fixed X-ray Scanner at the Tema Port has become an international showpiece with Israel being the latest country to send a delegation to study its operations with a view to buying one for use.

The "Herman Cargo Vision 5000 RSV Scanner", the latest technology in scanner systems was installed a year ago by Gateway Services Limited (GSL) to speed up the clearing of goods at the port.

Among the countries, which have come to inspect it since its installation are Britain, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania.

The Israeli delegation was made up of Mr Yoram Tibi, responsible for Customs Security at the City of Ashdod, Mr Micha Gal, from the Technical Branch of the Israeli Police, Dr (Mrs) Ada Rehavi, a Physicist and Consultant to the Israeli government and Mr Haim Ben Ari, Consultant Advisor for scanner systems.

Mr Tibi, leader of the delegation, which was in the country for five days, said they have visited the United States, Russia, China and Europe but were interested in the scanner in Ghana because it uses the latest technology.

He said the delegation did special tests in all the countries they visited and were impressed with the images of the Ghana's X-ray scanner, which displayed an efficient combination of technology and operation doctrine.

Mr Tibi said the Israeli Customs has a few X-ray scanners for detecting drugs and ammunition but its examination of goods involved a lot of human interventions.

The Israeli government, therefore, wanted it customs to stop physical examination of goods, which posed a serious trade barrier, and replace it with a more efficient system.

Mr Gerald Dagoreau, Scanco Manager for Tema, said a UK team, which visited Ghana in July last year to inspect a mobile scanner previously used at Tema, has now ordered eight of such mobile scanners for different ports in the UK.

He said apart from Ghana, 14 other countries were using large container scanners at their main ports and land borders. Nigeria has ordered four of the fixed scanners after visiting Ghana.

Mrs Comfort Boohen Osafo, Deputy Commissioner of CEPS for Research and Monitoring, said Ghana took two years to study the system before adopting it.

She said currently physical examination of goods in Ghana was about 40 per cent and CEPS intended to reduce this to 20 per cent by the year 2002 under the Gateway Project.

"CEPS wants to put in a Computer Risk Management System (CRMS) used world-wide to enhance efficiency, otherwise we cannot talk about Globalisation", she said.

Mrs Osafo explained that some Custom Officer criticised the adoption of the scanner because they were not willing to adapt and said they were being educated to embrace the new system.

She said the personnel department of CEPS has started picking the profiles of its officers to embark on a training exercise on rotational basis for those, who qualify so that more officers could be trained on the operations of the scanner.

During an inspection, newsmen came across a container that had been scanned and the pictures showed some foreign matter that had been stuffed among a large consignment of fridges that had been imported from Italy.

When the fridges were removed from the container, it was discovered that six used car engines and a crankshaft had been buried in the middle of the fridges with the aim of evading the payment of custom duties.

Mr Stephen Aniagyei, Image Operator of Scanco, said CEPS would be called in to value the engines and ask the importers to pay a penalty for failing to declare them to Customs.