Praneeta Prakash 
The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service is planning to establish new container examination facilities in Suva and Lautoka by 2027.
Director of Border and Customs, Shelini Kumar, highlighted this while appearing before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
She was responding to a question from the committee on the use of the x-ray scanning truck at Suva’s King’s Wharf.
Kumar says the x-ray scanners—one of which was donated by the Chinese government in 2017—had primarily been used after 5 p.m. due to safety concerns surrounding radiation exposure and heavy port traffic during the day.
She adds that FRCS had been lobbying with the Fiji Ports Corporation for several years to secure a dedicated and compliant space to operate the machine safely and efficiently.
“So we have gone beyond that now. What we are doing is we have managed to get funding from the Australian Border Force, after thorough negotiations and discussions with them, to establish container examination facilities in Suva and Lautoka. This is well underway. The financials have been remitted to the Ministry of Finance, and FRCS has already commenced work. The project is progressing well and should be completed by 2027.”
FRCS Chief Executive Udit Singh says the main issue surrounding the use of the x-ray scanning truck was radiation emissions, which required the equipment to be operated in an enclosed environment.
He adds that, due to the high level of activity during the day, this had not been possible because of health and safety concerns. However, FRCS is now working with the Ports Authority to identify a demarcated area where the scanners can be used more actively during the day, both in Suva and Lautoka.
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