Launch of new container scanner

Toespraak | 07-01-2009

Ladies and gentlemen,

It will be great fun for me to press this button in a minute. I love gadgets. I always have time for a brand-new electronic device, a technological masterstroke or an innovative solution. And this container scanner is a great new toy. But that is an understatement.

What we have here is a high-tech drive-through X-ray scan that can scan 150 containers an hour. The scans we have only manage 20 containers an hour. What is special about it is that it is a drive-through scan. The driver passes through the scan at 10 km/h and does not have to leave his cabine. Because of this the scanning process becomes much faster. You don't need personnel to scan manually, which is another unique aspect: the scan has unlimited opening hours. Sensors ensure that just the container and not the driver is exposed to radiation.

If you study the possibilities of this scan, it all leads to one conclusion: our Customs is an innovative organisation.

There are in the world only a few scans like this one. However these are only half as powerful as the Euromax scan and as a consequence generate a less clear image. It is safe to say that this is the best truck scanner in the world. The Dutch Customs raise a standard for the rest of the world.

Of course we knew that already. About a year ago, the World Bank called the Dutch Customs the world's most efficient customs agency. That made us proud; it still does.

To reach this conclusion, the World Bank interviewed 800 transport and other logistics professionals around the world. Their study showed that people in transport and logistics care deeply about the reliability and predictability of the logistical chain. Especially about processing by Customs and various other government inspections.

That's only logical. An entrepreneur wants to seize opportunities on the world market. To compete effectively in a global economy, Dutch companies have to be in great shape. When they face a credit crunch or safety requirements, they have no use for unnecessary red tape. There have to be some checks when goods cross boundaries - safety and security are in everyone's interest - but they have to be flexible, so they're not a burden to business. By making full use of automation and new forms of monitoring, by being innovative, we can meet this challenge.

Nature has endowed the Netherlands with favourable conditions for a good business climate. We are the gateway to Europe, with a word-class port and a world-class airport. We have well-developed physical and technological infrastructure. We're an economically, politically and socially stable country with an international orientation. We have a highly educated population with a good knowledge of languages. In short, this is a good country to live in.

And the Dutch Customs has been doing a good job for a long time. Making life easier for business has always been one of its strong points. We start from the principle that we work with business to tackle problems. This makes us different from many other countries. Customs joins forces with companies and business associations to attain our common goals of security, safety and simplicity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Over a hundred years ago, US Secretary of State John Hay launched the Open Door policy, urging the great powers to respect China's territorial integrity and allow unrestricted trade from Chinese ports. Hay was also famous for declaring, 'The Mediterranean is the ocean of the past, the Atlantic, the ocean of the present, and the Pacific, the ocean of the future.'

When you see how many containers reach Rotterdam from China today, you have to conclude that Hay was right, both about Chinese ports and about the Pacific. But a small comment is in order here: the North Sea is also the sea of the future. We can see that here in Rotterdam, the world's third busiest port. And yes, Shanghai ranks first.

In 2007 some 10,8 million TEU (Twenty feet Equivalent Unit) were transferred in Rotterdam. This makes Rotterdam Europe's largest container port.

Customs in Rotterdam scan about 45,000 containers a year.

This new Euromax terminal, with this new container scanner, shows Rotterdam's enduring vitality.

To wind up: as I said, the Dutch Customs is solidly behind the business community. We are committed to doing inspections quickly and well.

This container scanner will give a fresh impetus to efficient, high-quality inspections. It is a fine example of cooperation between Customs and business.

So it gives me great pleasure to launch this scanner. And now at last, I can play with this new toy - I'm dying to see if we'll catch something!

Thank you.