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The Bureau of Customs formally received on November 5 four new mobile container x-ray machines procured from China
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The machines will improve BOC’s capacity to identify smuggled commodities
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They will allow swift non-intrusive detection of goods within containerized shipments
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The machines enable non-intrusive scans at a rate of 120 containers per hour and produce clearer scanned pictures of items
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Manila International Container Port, Cebu port, Subic port and Cagayan de Oro port will host the machines
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) officially received four new mobile container x-ray machines expected to help boost various ports’ scanning performance.
The additional assets procured from China-based Nuctech Co. Ltd. were turned over to BOC on November 5, 2021.
BOC in a statement said the new x-ray machines allow non-intrusive scans at a rate of 120 containers per hour and produce clearer scanned pictures of items. The high-performance scanning capability of the new x-ray machines “will significantly improve the capacity of the Bureau in identifying smuggled commodities by allowing non-intrusive detection of goods within containerized shipments in a short period,” BOC noted.
READ: 4 x-ray machines to boost BOC anti-smuggling operations
The machines will be deployed to ports with high-volume scanning operations, namely, the Manila International Container Port, Cebu, Subic, and Cagayan de Oro.
Along with BOC’s 124 existing x-ray machines, the new assets are expected to further enhance the agency’s operations.
BOC earlier said it was able to collect P63.426 million additional duties and taxes and seize approximately P117.394 million worth of smuggled commodities and illegal drugs from January to September 2021 by using its x-ray machines.
In 2019, BOC said it was adding 50 new x-ray machines in various airports and seaports nationwide, including 15 fixed baggage x-ray machines, 25 hand-carried baggage x-ray machines, four mobile baggage x-ray machines, and six portal-type x-ray machines, altogether worth more than P1.2 billion.
