Port of Vancouver to use gamma-ray scanner to search containers for contraband

VANCOUVER (Jan. 31, 2002) — The federal government and the Vancouver Port Authority will install equipment that uses gamma rays to scan containers for contraband.

The $2.5 million scanner will complement manual inspections, according to Canada Customs and Revenue Agency officials. The gamma ray equipment will be operated by local customs officers at the VPA’s three container terminals — Deltaport, Centerm, and Vanterm. The Port of Vancouver is the first Canadian port to use this technology.

The gamma ray container screening equipment is formally known as the VACIS II system (Vehicle And Cargo Inspection System). It is a truck-mounted gamma-ray generator unit with a receiver mounted on a hydraulic arm. The arm straddles a container, which can be driven through on a trailer, or the mobile VACIS can roll past a stationary container. It can screen containers at the rate of one per minute.

The equipment uses low-level radiation to penetrate the vehicles and their cargo. Radiographic images of the containers can show hidden compartments associated with the transportation of stolen or smuggled goods, or whether commercial cargo is consistent with the declared manifest. Data can then be saved, transmitted, and shared with other agencies responsible for cargo verification. Once scanned, the containers are sealed and tracked to their final destination.

VPA president and chief executive officer Capt. Gordon Houston said he hopes the new technology will set the stage for the electronic bonding and pre-clearance of U.S.-destined cargo through the port.

More than one million containers pass through the port each year.