Apapa Customs targets 200 containers hourly scanning to facilitate trade, cargo clearance

Comptroller Oluwadare Oshoba, Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Port Command, has called on port users and stakeholders to prepare for a more seamless trade process as the Nigerian Customs Service advances its modernisation project with the commencement of fixed scanner installations.
With the installation of fixed scanners now underway at Apapa Port, the Nigerian Customs Service has taken another major step in its modernisation drive as Comptroller Oluwadare Oshoba, who oversees the Apapa Command, assured port users and stakeholders that the development will translate into faster and more efficient trade processes.

In a statement signed by Tunde Ayagbalo, Public Relations Officer of the Apapa Area Command, the Customs Area Comptroller, Oshoba, disclosed this shortly after inspecting the location for the installation of three new scanners at the port, saying that the Command is ready to surpass expectations as the scanners would be examining 200 containers per hour.

While describing the quayside location for the scanners as an operational masterstroke, the Customs Area Comptroller stated that no consignment will escape high-tech, non-intrusive inspection at Apapa Port, as the scanners will be strategically positioned close to the berthing area.

He commended the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, for his relentless commitment to NCS modernisation, while urging  officers to prepare for intensive train-the-trainer sessions, as the next phase after installation would be training ahead of full deployment.

He advised NCS ICT officers to enhance their capacity building for the tier one and tier two levels of scanner maintenance, which are the first of their kind in the West and Central Africa sub-region.

Oshoba described the feat as a great milestone about to happen and advised port users, especially importers, exporters, and their agents, to uphold the tenet of sincere declaration, as all false declarations and concealment would be exposed by the technology.

Oshoba said, “I want to, on behalf of our officers and men, thank the CGC for leading us through an era of revolutionary customs modernisation. The arrival of these scanners is one of the many great benefits we will reap from the modernization project.

“Our partners, the Trade Modernisation Project (TMP), have assured us that the installation would last for 45 days, and we are expecting two units of scanners from them, with an additional one from APM Terminals. These three scanners would ensure that there is no downtime for cargo examination here and reinforce our position as the number one destination for port activities in Nigeria.

“All hands must be on deck to see to the full realisation of this dream which would save time, increase revenue, enhance national security, promote trade and prevent port related crimes from the earliest point of entry.”

Aliyu Suleiman, Team Leader of the Trade Modernization Project (TMP) explained that the fixed scanners being installed are NUCTECH FS6000 models from China.

He noted that the high-throughput, drive-through X-ray system can scan trucks and containers in a single pass at speeds of up to 15 km/h, enabling non-stop inspections at busy ports and borders. The technology, which uses dual-energy X-ray transmission, produces detailed images to detect concealed contraband and hazardous materials.

Suleiman added that the scanners’ compact, modular design makes them easy to relocate and integrate with systems such as License Plate Recognition (LPR) and RFID. He further disclosed that aside from the three fixed scanners being deployed, APM Terminals has pledged to provide a mobile scanner as backup in case of downtime.