Dubai Customs’ Advanced Container Scanning System which won the Distinguished Technological/Technical Project Award in the 17th edition of Dubai Government Excellence Program 2013-2014, is the first innovated comprehensive system in the world integrating multiple high-tech technological platforms utilizing the most cutting edge inspection technologies. It is the latest international system for containers scanning and inspecting and moving trucks contents via X-ray, it is capable of scanning 150 trucks per hour while driving at an average speed ranging from 8 to 15 Km/h, which is the equal of one truck every 24 seconds. The system has been developed with an aim of providing effective protection to the borders of both Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
The project came into realization in line with achieving the strategic goal of Dubai Customs’ endeavouring towards enhancing trade compliance and combating illegal trade, as well as to keep up with the increasing capacity of Jebel Ali Port which is expected to exceed 29 Million TEUs ahead of Dubai Expo 2020. This will increase the challenges Dubai Customs has to face as part of its core mission, being the first line of defence that protects the society and playing an integral part in the facilitation of legitimate trade flow globally.
This project had an enormous impact on the inspection efficiency and efficacy at Jebel Ali Port, which stands as one of the largest in the Middle East and worldwide.
The program is capable of electronically scanning the truck plate number, detecting radioactive materials within containers, with the capacity of direct X-raying of goods within a moving truck without impeding the traffic within the Port, besides adhering to the highest level of security and safety for both of the inspectors and trucks drivers. The system is also capable of recording and storing all of the imagery in a central database which can be easily retrieved and reviewed at any time and/or when needed, with relevance to all custom’s declarations.
This project provided an added value to the exhaustive analysis capacities for containers’ imagery. It also helped in uncovering numerous goods trafficking cases.
It is worth mentioning that the linking of the Container Scanning System with the Custom’s Declaration System and the rest of the operational systems of DC, have greatly contributed to increasing customs inspection capacity with the possibility of clearing and releasing goods in a record time without the need to unload containers.
The main achievements of the Advanced Container Scanning System are: Increased compliance in Jebel Ali from 42% in 2010 to 91.7% in 2013; the total value of seizures during the last 3 years amounted to AED 774 Million; effectively scanning 100% of suspected containers against Radioactive Materials; reduced the total inspection time from 2 hours to 20 minutes per container; reduced Container Inspection cost by 54% after implementation; and the number of clients in Jebel Ali increased by 33% during 2010-2013.
Through the deployment of the award-winning Advanced Container Scanning System, Dubai Customs sought to develop its inspection systems levelling up to the highest international standards, in order to boost Dubai’s trade competitiveness. Reducing the time and effort needed for customs inspections would enable traders to improve their operation returns and boost their trust in the local business environment.