Abu Dhabi // Powerful enough to spot a box of cigarettes inside a packed lorry, the UAE's new X-ray machines at the border with Saudi Arabia may keep the average smuggler awake at night.
The Government last week installed one of four newly acquired heavy-duty machines at the Gheweifat border post, as part of a plan to improve border security over the next two years. All the country's border crossings, as well as Abu Dhabi International Airport and Mina Zayed Port, will eventually be equipped with similar machines.
Howard Nortcliffe, the senior equipment engineer for General Administration of Customs, said the X-ray machines would give customs officers a better chance of detecting contraband inside large consignments of cargo: "They can actually detect a cigarette packet within the carton."
He added that the images delivered by the high-energy beams, which reflect off organic material, were of almost photographic quality. "Previously, it would have been a basic blur."
In addition to the heavy-duty machines for lorries, the Government's order also included four smaller, low-energy machines for passenger vehicles and one large, low-energy, drive-through machine for lorries.
It also purchased three "mobile" low-energy machines that will be operated from vans that scan vehicles by driving around them.
The low-energy machines expose people to very little radiation, so they can remain in their vehicles. The radiation from "one scan is the equivalent to flying for 15 minutes at 30,000 feet in an aircraft", Mr Nortcliffe said. The total cost of the purchase, from a US company, American Science and Engineering, was about Dh202 million (US$55m).
About 1,400 lorries enter Abu Dhabi daily at the Gheweifat crossing.
Of those, about 20 per cent are empty, said Michael Krstic, a customs adviser with the General Administration of Customs. An additional 40 per cent are now pre-cleared to reduce waiting times at the border.
Two years ago, every lorry making the crossing was made to queue, Mr Krstic said.
"There is a huge modernisation [programme] to bring Abu Dhabi into the forefront of good security. The whole idea is to facilitate trade, to get these lorries and goods through the border as quickly as possible. The more equipment we've got, the less hold-ups."
Customs now also has a team in place to investigate apparently isolated incidents to determine if they are part of a bigger smuggling operation.
"We now have the ability to take a single incident and do a strategic assessment for all of Abu Dhabi," Mr Krstic said.
Customs officials also recently seized a large amount of antidepressant pills being smuggled across the border.
Customs said its top priorities were stopping drugs from entering the country, as well as weapons and ammunition and explosive materials. Security is also a top priority, with officials focusing on money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
mchung@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5