Every year thousands of tons of cargo move through ports around the world. This lends itself to unscrupulous individuals attempting to ship prohibited cargo. However, more and more ports are implementing a cargo inspection system that can analyse the cargo in a container without even opening it. Authorities analyse containers once they are on the truck that will transport them to their final destination. The problem with this system is that people can only slowly interpret the information they see on the screen. To solve this, it used an AI inspection system that can hold many dangerous or prohibited items in real-time. If the operator detects a prohibited item the AI could not find, he marks it in the system, and the AI learns it. It is a simple and fast process.

Ports are connected

It’s not that you can get from one port to another on a ship. It is about ports sharing their databases to detect suspicious or prohibited items easily. They feed the artificial intelligence database with new information every time the scanner operator enters a new item. As this database is a computer file, it can be transmitted to other ports, helping to curb smuggling in more countries. Although two ports can have different scanning systems, some tools allow data to be exported from one database and integrated into another database in a different format. More and more ports are joining this initiative and stopping hundreds of banned cargoes that would have caused damage in their countries. The best part is that they don’t have to put their personnel at risk because the scanner screen is located away from the area where the containers pass through.

Modular systems are easy to upgrade

Not all ports have the financial capacity to buy large scanners capable of scanning many containers per day. The good news is that the companies that manufacture these scanners offer modular systems that can be expanded and upgraded as the port improves its capacity. A small port can start with a medium-sized scanner and, over time, implement artificial intelligence modules, drug detectors, explosives detectors, etc. When a port can analyse incoming goods more quickly, it can receive more cargo and, therefore, more revenue. Thanks to these new modular systems, more and more countries are protecting their citizens and economies from the entry of dangerous or unauthorised items. They also serve to detect undeclared goods and address the large amounts of money that are lost due to the failure to collect taxes on these goods.