The Terminal’s expectation is to double its inspection capacity, thus increasing the quality and agility of inspections

Porto Itapoá acquires new scanner for inspecting containers

Porto Itapoá acquired a new scanner for inspecting containers entering its yard. The equipment, model HCVM XT, manufactured by British company Smiths Detection, is the first of its kind in Brazilian territory. This latest acquisition, an investment of approximately BRL 10 million, arrived this January and will likely start operating by March.

The expectation is that this new piece of equipment will result in significant gains in terms of productivity, according to Sergni Pessoa Junior, Porto Itapoá’s Director of Operations, Environment and Technology. The Santa Catarina terminal will now operate with two scanners. “This provides more security to everyone involved in the process: the Brazilian IRS, exporters, importers, carriers and collaborators of Porto Itapoá”.

As highlighted by Pessoa Junior, the new scanner is state-of-the-art and has technological features that improve the efficiency of inspection activities. “We have made important investments in technology in order to increase our security and operating capacity”, said Pessoa Junior.

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Claiton Meyer, IRS Customs Officer in São Francisco do Sul and the officer in charge of customs operations at Itapoá, stressed the importance of this kind of equipment. “Operating with two scanners means an increase in the availability of equipment for inspections. With the new scanner starting operation, in addition to more inspections of containers in a shorter amount of time, the tendency is to reduce the need for physical inspections”.

Furthermore, Meyer highlights the qualitative gains for inspections. “The new scanner to be used by Porto Itapoá will result in better quality image, which will facilitate the identification of goods and merchandise contained in the cargo unit, thus providing support in the identification of illicit acts”, he explained.

Investment in infrastructure

In 2022, Porto Itapoá acquired from manufacturer ZPMC a boom STS (ship to shore) crane with a reach of 70 meters as well as ten hybrid RTG (rubber tyred gantry) cranes, with fuel consumption 3 times lower than a conventional RTG, in addition to being remotely controlled.  Itapoá will be the first port in Brazil to make use of this kind of equipment. Five other pieces of equipment will arrive in May, while the others will arrive along with the STS in December 2023. “The main goal behind the acquisition of the remotely-controlled RTG cranes, in addition to innovation and sustainability, is to provide comfort and ergonomics to operators, which will result in improved satisfaction, efficiency and productivity”, highlights Pessoa Junior.

In addition to the STS and RTG cranes in April 2022, Porto Itapoá also acquired two Reach Stacker forklifts, which are used in operations in the Terminal’s yard. The goal is to maximize services in connection with ship and yard activities, complementing the operations with the RTG cranes.

These pieces of equipment, manufactured by Kalmar, are capable of handling 45 tons and have a wide array of technological features operator safety. The port already had three similar pieces of equipment.

Another important acquisition consisted of nine terminal tractors (TTs) manufactured by Brazilian company Rucker, which arrived in July 2022. These are now part of our fleet of 40 vehicles, which can carry 65 tons each, equivalent to two 20-foot containers.