The Port of Port of Spain has assured the nation that its fixed-container scanner is fully operational and boasted that it was the only seaport in TT with such.
The claim was made via a newspaper advertisement in the daily newspapers on Sunday and comes on the heels of the revelation before a a JSC that scanners at the port were not working, so fewer than 4,000 shipping containers of the 23,000 imported into TT from January-August were inspected.
The Port said the scanner, a $25 million Nuctech Linea Accelerator X-ray scanner and detection system, was acquired by grant funding from China and commissioned on September 12, 2014.
It added that the Customs and Excise Division was the “stipulated entity,” under the laws of TT, to conduct inspections of commercial cargo and personal goods passing through any seaport.
“Containers that are delivered directly to their consignees’ premises typically require an on-site inspection by a Customs and Excise official.
“The PPOS is not responsible for inspecting containers or cargo coming into its facilities.”
The advertisement said the port continued to fulfil its mandate to provide support to the Customs division through the maintenance and upkeep of the fixed-scanner facility and the provision of leased space for the division to conduct its inspections and operations.
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