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New Scanning Machine in Service at Port on June 6

June 3, 2005

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The detection of contraband entering and leaving the nation’s ports will be greatly enhanced with the acquisition of a new piece of equipment, the Advanced Research and Application Corporation (ARACOR) Eagle Mobile x-ray unit.
This unit will be officially commissioned into service at the Kingston Container Terminal on Monday, June 6.
“The ARACOR Eagle Mobile x-ray unit bears resemblance to a joint straddle carrier that allows the trailers to drive through the unit and scanning can be completed within a minute and a half,” Vice-President in charge of security at the Port Authority of Jamaica, A.J. Forbes told JIS News.
The x-ray unit is capable of penetrating 300 millimetres or 14 inches of steel and so high-density cargo such as refrigerated goods or those with heavy liquid content can no longer serve as agents for transporting contraband. Mr. Forbes is confident therefore, that the island’s shipping industry can benefit significantly from using this unit.
In addition, the Kingston Container Terminal has three other non-intrusive cargo inspection units called VACIS. These machines, similar to the New ARACOR Eagle Mobile x-ray unit, use radiation for scanning. When the two are compared, the New ARACOR Eagle surpasses the VACIS in its capability to detect contraband. However, the VACIS, unlike other scanning machines, offers inherent safety as it has the lowest radiation dose of any non-intrusive scanning machine.
“Whereas the new unit may pose a slight problem, as it relates to the emission of radiation, the manufacturers and the shipping community are sensitized, aware and will ensure that all safety measures are observed,” said Mr. Forbes.
Furthermore, the International Atomic Association based at the University of the West Indies has conducted surveys to ensure the unit has met the required safety standards as stipulated by the manufacturers. As with all machines that use radiation to scan containers, the ARACOR Eagle Mobile x-ray unit can affect its users if safety regulations are not keenly observed.

Last Updated: June 3, 2005

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