Inspenet, July 17, 2023.
After facing various obstacles for 15 years, the Costa Rican government inaugurated the scanners in seaports on Thursday, July 13. This event is part of “Operative Sovereignty”, in which the authorities of the Executive Branch will carry out actions from the Moín Container Terminal (TCM) in the city of Limón.
During a press conference after the Governing Council held the day before, the President of the Republic, Rodrigo Chaves, shared his expectations about this event. The ruler traveled to Limón on Thursday to inspect the logistical details and supervise the implementation of the devices that will be in charge of inspecting the containers , guaranteeing that they leave the national territory without any problem.
government decree
The government of the Republic reported on November 30, 2022 that the company Radiográfica Costarricense SA (Racsa SA) would be in charge of managing the scanners in ports and border posts in Costa Rica. This decision was made official through Executive Decree 43806-H, which was signed by President Rodrigo Chaves Robles and Finance Minister Nogui Acosta Jaén.
The announcement was made within the framework of the Declaration of Public Interest to the Non-Intrusive Inspection System (SINI). The scanners were a requirement established by the Economic Affairs Commission, with the objective of the Legislative Assembly approving the $5,000 million Eurobonds for the administration.
At the time, the government announced that the company would provide a full service at a “lower” price than it currently is, capped at about $25 for revision fees.
The total cost of the devices will exceed $35 million and includes the installation of nine scanners that will be used to prevent the shipment or entry of drugs in containers.
There will be two teams located at APM Terminals, one at the Atlantic Slope Development Port Administration Board (Japdeva), two in Puerto Caldera, one at the Paso Canoas border post, one in Peñas Blancas, and two mobile devices in Las Tablets and Sixaola.
Scanners in seaports: the obstacles behind the management
The installation of scanners in Costa Rica has been a constant challenge for the last five presidential administrations.
In 2008, the government of former President Óscar Arias Sánchez received a donation of scanners from the People’s Republic of China, with the aim of detecting illegal substances in containers entering and leaving the country.
The scanners, manufactured by Chinese company Nuctech Company Limited and valued at $6 million, were initially planned to be deployed at the Peñas Blancas and Paso Canoas border posts by July 2009. However, logistical problems prevented this option from being carried out at that time.
Finally, the scanners arrived in the country in January 2010, but they were not used, which led the Ministry of Finance during the Laura Chinchilla Miranda administration to incur an expense of $423,000 to prevent them from going out of operation.
In July 2013, the newspaper La Nación reported that the two scanners that had never been used at the surveillance posts broke down and required repairs.
Subsequently, during an appearance in the Legislative Assembly in August 2019, the former director of the Fiscal Control Police (PCF), Irving Malespín, revealed that the scanners donated by China were useless and did not fulfill their function.
Likewise, in November 2014, the chancellor of the Republic Manuel González requested help from China to donate at least two scanners to Costa Rica.
The Asian Embassy accepted the process and requested Costa Rica to verify a list of technical specifications and the equipment to be used.
In June 2016, the Foreign Ministry administration traveled to China and submitted a formal request that included eight scanners capable of inspecting at least 100 containers per hour.
Although the government signed a cooperation agreement with China for $15 million for three fixed scanners, in October 2017 an official communication was received indicating that the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) would be the recipient agency, but they could not be installed for six months. due to the need to purchase additional technical equipment.
During the government of Carlos Alvarado, there were also problems getting the scanners working and in September 2019 it was made public that the scanners, valued at $8 million, had been rejected.
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