44 CARGO SCREENING
Screening air cargo: research into security screening is necessary The screening of air cargo remains an issue pre-occupying the aviation sector. After a start-up phase when explosive trace detection (ETD) and metal detection dominated, a second, more developed phase has presented itself. Now, the two most popular screening methods within the EU are explosive detection dogs (EDD) and the X-ray machine.
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TD, the most accurate screening method, has receded into the background. This method is frequently used in laboratories to identify substances. EU regulations have been amended in such a way with regard to the use of ETD that in practice it is hardly used now for screening air cargo. The major advantage of ETD (i.e., not only reporting the presence of a detected substance but identifying the substance found) has been lost due to the requirement to take samples of a substance from both outside and inside the consignment. Shipments must therefore be opened for screening and ETD can only be used for (second opinion) screening of individual consignments. Due to the obligation of having to open consignments and take samples from the inside, processing speed is too slow and ETD has therefore lost its applicability within air cargo.
Cargo Magazine
As far as metal detection as a screening method is concerned, we can be brief; as soon as staples and metal strands are no longer used by the packaging industries, metal detection will most certainly have a great future ahead of it. Both have advantages as well as disadvantages and, as EU Regulation 2015/1998 indicates in Article 6.2.1.1: when cargo or mail is subject to secu-
We have arrived at the (fully-fledged) methods of security screening: EDD and X-ray
rity screening, means or methods are to be used which make it possible with the highest likelihood to detect forbidden objects whilst taking the nature of the shipment into account. In the case of a car engine this would be detection dogs and in the case of a box of vacuum-packed smoked sausages then X-ray would be used. Yet, ever more restrictions are being applied to both methods. This forms a serious threat for the air cargo industry. For passenger and baggage screening the government makes both direct and indirect financial options available for the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment. Examples are the deployment of the body and security scanner and the use of self-learning intelligent software for X-ray apparatus. Research is also being funded, a recent example being the use of EDD for passengers. However, from the very beginning, the air cargo sector has had to fend for itself. That is, procure equipment themselves, discover for themselves which method in each situation has the greatest probability of detecting forbidden objects. This also explains the differences in the development of legislation for the passenger and cargo sectors.
