Port operators Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI) and the
International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) temporarily
shelved the collection of the radiation monitoring fee pending the
approval by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
ATI and ICTSI have decided to defer the
implementation of $50 radiation monitoring fee for the US Megaport
Initiative scanning project to allow the PPA to clear the issues raised
by the port users.
The PPA has conducted a study on the computation of
fees and the process of scanning, after some stakeholders questioned how
the port operators arrived with such rate.
However, the two will then impose the radiation
monitoring fees for all boxed cargoes passing through their jurisdiction
upon the release of the implementing rules and regulation of the
project.
The implementing guidelines are subject to
considerations and approval by PPA general manager Oscar Sevilla.
ICTSI and ATI asked for the radiation monitoring fee
to be imposed for all import and export cargo to recover their expenses
related to their operations. These include electricity, security and
other operational cost.
They are seeking that all import and export cargoes
stored in piers, airports, terminal facilities including container
yards, freight stations under their jurisdiction will be scanned.
The PPA wants the Port of Manila to conduct another
hearing to thresh out the matters related with the fees. After
completing the process, they will submit a report to the PPA board,
which will then approve the necessary fee.
The PPA hopes that this will be enforced next month.
The US government has donated at least two radiation
portals installed in top two major gateways to ensure that all
containerized cargoes, especially bound to United States are free from
weapons of mass destruction.
The scanning machines were designed by the United
States’ Department of Energy under the US Megaport Initiative.
The scanning machine is used in mega transshipment ports
in Singapore Hong Kong and United States and took less than a minute to
scan.
