THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), in keeping with the requirements of the International Maritime Laws for the exportation of products to the United States, has acquired a container scanner for scanning all exports to the U.S. The acquisition of the scanner by the GRA resulted from a lack of responsiveness and the inability of private wharves to acquire their own scanners in order to fulfil the U.S. requirements when exporting. Owners of private wharves complained that the cost of the type of scanner that would satisfy the international standard was too exorbitant for the private sector.
As a result, through the intervention of government, the much needed equipment was purchased last year at a cost in excess of $200M.
Operationalising the scanner no doubt has its challenges, since such a highly sensitive piece of equipment requires special facilities for its housing and effective functioning. And so the GRA was faced with the challenge of building the infrastructure for the scanner at a suitable location, since owners of private wharves were very reluctant and not sufficiently supportive in making their facilities available for the housing of the equipment.
The GRA managed to obtain a location at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) wharf for the installation of the scanner, and the device has been set up with the requisite safety standards in place for operating this highly complex equipment.
It should be noted that because the equipment is highly sophisticated and complex, the GRA is forced to depend on the supplier of the container scanner, RAPISCAN, which is US based, to provide the technical support.  GRA’s dependence on RAPISCAN has caused some amount of delay in the commencement of scanning for export, since the GRA cannot act in isolation of the supplier. The safety of the scanner and its safe use are high priorities; and as such, with the assistance of RAPISCAN, all efforts are being made to ensure there are no compromises.
According to the Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur, “with the operation of the container scanner, a non-intrusive detection equipment, there will be greater transparency in the processing of imports as well as exports, with the main focus being on exports.”
On July 1, 2004, the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code took effect, and Guyana, being a signatory to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention in December 2002, proceeded with taking actions to comply with the requirements for export.
According to a recent review by a high level management team that comprised the Commissioner-General, recently seconded Senior Manager, Ms Simone Beckles, and others, the GRA is confident that adequate arrangements are in place for the operation of the container scanner. The requisite employees have already been trained in the use of the scanner, operational procedures approved, and information on what the exporters and the general public needs to know will soon be placed in the public domain.

The expected date for commencement of the operations is likely to be no later than April 5, 2011.