Security

Southampton begins container scanning

Southampton Container Terminals is first out in the US program for scanning all containers destined for the US, the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI), according to US Customs and Border Protection. Since October 12, all containers destined for US ports are scanned with non-intrusive equipment for the presence of radioactive material.

Port Qasim in Pakistan – which like Southampton Container Terminals is owned by DP World – and Puerto Cortez in Honduras have also introduced container scanning.
At the largest port in the Nordic region, the Port of Göteborg, container scanning is not yet an issue.
”As far as I know, this will come into force in 2012 but we have not really begun discussing it yet”, says Tom Westman, head of Containerterminalen in the Port of Göteborg, although he is well aware that the port will ultimately have to introduce container scanning:
”We handle a lot of exports to the US and if scanning becomes necessary, we will have to have it too”, says Tom Westman to SSG.

Written: 2007-10-25 15.09.31
Editor: Fredrik Davidsson