Scanners utilisation may not prevent port congestion Cotecna

Scanner services provider, the Cotecna Group, has expressed sadness on the poor use of scanners in the ports, pointing out that the present rate of utilisation might not allow the equipment to prevent ports congestion at critical points.Managing Director, Cotecna Destination Inspection Nigeria Limited, Tayo Rabiu, who also pooh-poohed what he described as the present 20 per cent utilisation level, clamoured for more enlightenment for port users and other relevant stakeholders, noting the necessity of more space if the equipment were to be optimally utilised when they are finally transferred to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in few years.He stated that about 75 per cent of all consignments coming into the country could undergo scanning if all the risk assessment agencies in the port were unified, noting that since the export documents came before the consignments, the scanner service providers were in a position to do the risk profiling, consequently, advising terminal operators which consignments should go for scanning.The scanning space is limited.It is one of the challenges we face, and the container-laden trucks have no where to park while the Customs take a second look at the images we send to them, Rabiu highlighted, explaining why sometimes some trucks remain at inauspicious places, until they get clearance from the Customs and other agencies involved in the cargo facilitation process.Providing further insight into avoidable delays, the Cotecna boss pin pointed the gimmicks of truck drivers who often wait at the site with their trucks, so as to beat the 6.00 pm movement time of the Lagos State government, even after they might have been cleared to leave the port.He indicated that as a means of creating space at the scanning site, Cotecna, Customs and all other agencies involved in the clearing process were already working at harmonising their risk assessment packages in a bid to simplify, unite them and make the process smoother.Subsequently, the Customs management in Apapa, he disclosed, had also stopped all physical examination of containers at the scanning site, pushing such tasks to the APM Terminal examination site.
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