C-BORD:effective Container inspection at BORDer control points
Efficient NII (non-intrusive inspection) of containerised freight is critical to trade and society. Freight containers
are potential means for smuggling (e.g. tobacco), illegal immigration, trafficking of drugs, mis-declared goods and
dangerous illicit substances, including explosives, nuclear material, chemical and biological warfare agents and
radioactively contaminated goods. One inspection NII technology cannot cope with all these targets.
The C-BORD Toolbox and Framework will address all these targets and enable customs to deploy comprehensive
cost-effective container NII solutions to potentially protect all EU sea- and land-borders, satisfying a large range of
container NII needs.
The C-BORD Toolbox will include 5 complementary innovative detection technologies: delivering improved X-rays,
Target Neutron Interrogation, Photofission, Sniffing and Passive Detection. User interfaces and data will be integrated
to optimise effectiveness and efficiency of end-users and systems.
The C-BORD Framework will help customs analyse their needs, design integrated solutions, and optimise the
container inspection chain; it will address detection levels, false alarm levels, throughput, health & safety, logistics
and cost & benefits.
C-BORD will increase the probability of finding illicit or dangerous content with at least equal throughput of
containers per time unit, reduce the need for costly, time-consuming and dangerous manual container inspections
by customs officials, and in case a container is opened, increase the probability of finding illicit materials. C-BORD
involves stakeholders from 8 EU countries, as partners (5) and advisory group members (3). On 3 custom sites
integrated solutions will be trialled, respectively addressing the needs of big seaports, small seaports and mobile landborders.
To optimise sustainable impact, C-BORD will actively engage with a large community, will support policy
implementation, evolution and start early exploitation planning.