Port of Gulfport unveils new technology to clear cargo faster

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – With the PGA golf tournament in town, the presenting sponsor Rapiscan Systems hosted a tour of the Port of Gulfport Tuesday where its sister company, S2 Global, provides security technology.
It began with a tour of the facility led by the port’s Operations Director Shawn Meyer.
“We showed everybody, you know, the ships working. We have the Dole Maya in here. Showed them the operations and how diverse the port is,” Meyer told WLOX.
The tour was followed by a demonstration of its newest technology called CertScan.
It was years in the making and a team effort between the port, its sister port in Guatemala, S2 Global and United States Customs.
The equipment they unveiled is the first of its kind in the nation.
“It’s a very unique opportunity. Unlike many nations, we have the opportunity to facilitate, enhance our technology and bring a better layer of enforcement to the United States,” said Garret Reinhart, acting deputy director of the port’s Non-Intrusive Inspection Division.
With CertScan, x-ray and radiology devices scan shipments entering the U.S., allowing port workers here to examine the images rather than the entire containers.
That means quicker inspections and faster deliveries to your grocery stores.
“A person on-site here where the container is physically located has access to this image,” S2 Global network engineer Jerome Zeito explained.
In his demo, he shared an example of a truck carrying tires.
“This was marked as needing additional inspection,” he said. “CertScan has a plethora of different tools used for image analysis. As it goes through, there’s material discrimination. This breaks down the material, different densities and materials within the colors.”
The team held a luncheon to announce its new technology soon going online.
“Never has it been used this way, and U.S. customs has never had an agreement like this with a foreign government to trade information in this way,” said S2 Global President Jonathan Fleming.
Their efforts are to enhance safety, security and efficiency for the nation’s second-largest fruit and vegetable port.
“If we save 24 hours’ time from inspection, that fruit, that banana or the pineapples will get to the store and on the shelves 24 hours fresher,” Fleming said.
Port crews are currently in the process of building a command center where the technology will be implemented.
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