| Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The scanning of containerized shipments at the Port of Cebu will now be made faster with the availability of their new portal x-ray machine.
The HXP-FreightScan Portal uses a modern scanning technology designed by Astrophysics, Asia Inc. to detect smuggled and anti-social goods through high-resolution images for more accurate image analysis, said an advisory posted on the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu Facebook page.
Its design allows container trucks to move through the x-ray machine with a tunnel height of almost five meters allowing scanning of oversized cargoes, it added.
“The HXP-FreightScan Portal enhances the Port’s maximum x-ray inspection capacity to 150 trucks an hour. With its comprehensive imaging tools and standard features, shipments will be analyzed with greater speed and accuracy while ensuring maximum threat detection. We, at the Bureau’s X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP), commit to adopt technological advancements in our operations to better serve our stakeholders”, said Carlos Joey S. Reyes, Field Officer, XIP-Cebu.
On Monday morning, Atty. Charlito Martin R. Mendoza, the acting district collector, led the inauguration and blessing of the newly-installed machine.
Also present were Engr. Rene Antonio P. Bacon, Port Manager of Port Management Office-Cebu Port Authority; Atty. Tomas A. Riveral, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Oriental Port and Allied Services Corporation (OPASCOR); and Atty. Florimae C. Velasco, General Manager of OPASCOR.
The installation of the additional x-ray machine was in line with the Bureau’s commitment to strengthen border security measures by increasing its non-intrusive inspection capabilities of containerized shipments.
“This modernization of the Bureau’s scanning technology in the port will not only improve border security and trade facilitation but also increase the entire port operation’s resiliency against and adaptability in times of operational disruption,” the BOC advisory said.