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40 Million Port Scanners – True Cost Anyone?

Dear BU In the endless cause to stop violence and import of weapons the government has announced the procurement of 2 scanners at a cost of 40 million BBD. It doesn’t take much searching to find the attached price list for RapiScan products, a top US manufacturer of all types of scanners including container/gantry scanning.…

,
Dear BU
In the endless cause to stop violence and import of weapons the government has announced the procurement of 2 scanners at a cost of 40 million BBD.
It doesn’t take much searching to find the attached price list for RapiScan products, a top US manufacturer of all types of scanners including container/gantry scanning.
See Scanner Price List – Rapiscan Systems
It is quite evident that a scanner costs 900k-2 million USD.
How the government is allotting 10 million USD to a scanner is a question that should be asked.
Is this a classic example of over-billing with the extra money being kick backed to a corrupt politician/bureaucrat ?
If you at the BU could post this one way or another with my text or your own I would greatly appreciate it.
The fact that it took me 10 minutes of searching on the internet to find List Prices for Scanners just shows how stupid the politician must think we citizens are. How can they be so blatant to claim they are spending X dollars when we can see the cost is 35% of X.
Good day and I hope we can bring someone into the light of justice with this document and future article.
Sincerely
Concerned Bajan with Internet Access

111 responses to “40 Million Port Scanners – True Cost Anyone?”

  1. islandgal Avatar
    islandgal

    Does the price above reflect training, packing and transportation, maintenance and service contracts?

  2. David Avatar
    David

    $40 million scanners in two months – AG
    Article by
    Barbados Today
    Published on
    May 4, 2019

    The first of two new scanners for the Bridgetown Port will be in Barbados in two months.

    Attorney General Dale Marshall gave this update this morning while reminding Barbadians that Government will be beefing up security with the addition of the two new container scanners.

    Delivering remarks at the opening of the Caribbean Security Basin Initiative Commission meeting at Radisson Hotel, this morning, the AG said it was not good enough that only one scanner has been working at the Bridgetown Port over the last two years.

    The Attorney General said “In order to make sure that our environment is not compromised, we have decided to commit the sum of $40 million, to acquire two new scanners, the first of which would be delivered within the next six to eight weeks. The second will be delivered certainly before the end of this year to ensure that we can target as great a percentage of container traffic coming into Barbados for scanning.

    “And therefore the Advanced Cargo Information System (ACIS) is one that lends itself to Barbados, and it is one that would see our support.

    “A lot of what we are doing now though, had its genesis over ten years ago. It is ironic that the occasion for a lot of our security initiatives had to do with the sport that Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean enjoy so much, that being cricket. One would think that the cricketing environment is an occasion of festivity and laughter and revelry and celebration,” he said.

    The Attorney General noted that at the time when the Caribbean won the bid to host the largest cricket tournament in the world, CARICOM nations recognized that it in order to be a safe environment for visitors, security measures needed to be transformed.”

    In February this year, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey while addressing Barbados Labour Party (BLP), St Joseph constituency branch meeting, indicated that an alarming number of shipping containers has been entering the country through the Bridgetown Port without being scanned by customs officer, leaving a gaping opening for the importation of illegal firearms.

    Humphrey said then that less than six per cent of the cargo leaving the port was being scanned.

  3. SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife Avatar
    SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife

    @islandgal May 5, 2019 3:25 PM “Does the price above reflect training, packing and transportation, maintenance and service contracts.”

    I doubt very much that training, packing and transportation, maintenance and service contracts can bring the price from $2 million to $10 million.

    But then again I am an all around skeptic.

  4. SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife Avatar
    SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife

    But still the question to be asked. If contraband is found in containers, will the contraband owners try to corrupt customs officers or the political class to see and pretend not to see?

    I am a skeptic.

  5. WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog Avatar
    WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog

    All they are good for is creating a bunch of shitty acronyms…, the isle of useless acronyms.

    bet you those scanners will sit and rot after the novelty wears off….steupps

    they maintain nothing, not even baby incubators at the hospital.

  6. Fractured BLP Avatar
    Fractured BLP

    This $ 40 million ( SCAMP )…..oopps Scanner project as announced by the AG of Barbados………sounds just like the million $$$$ scam by the former T&T AG…..Anand Ramlogan !

    Well we have all seen how Anand ended up before the T&T law courts !

    AG…….Scamps !!

    Btw……has Dale Marshall responded to the allegations made on BU by landowners …..who cried foul over his legal practices ?

  7. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    There is no hope for barbadians govt continue to juck them im the eye
    First they say the sewer problem was fixed
    Then they claim garbage problem “soon” to be resolved hence a year later and still the same ole same
    They also stated that they would put money in peoples pocket
    Now this scanner kite i guess we have to wait and see

  8. David Avatar
    David

    What is sad is where can the people turn, NOT, the DLP.

  9. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    We’re witnessing a defamation campaign against our distinguished Attorney-General. A witch hunt of unprecedented proportions based on untruth and twisted facts. It is time to arrest the two youtubers from England if they dare to set foot on sacred ground in Barbados once again.

  10. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    LMFAO at that scanner! The AG said CONTAINER SCANNERS. What CONTAINER that scanner in the pic can scan? Unless I am missing something.🤣🤣🤣

  11. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    @Enuff
    LOL……you look at a picture…murdah…READ and do a lil research.
    First the company is called RAPISCAN, not Rapidscan as noted.
    Next, even Guyana in 2011 bought one of these for $1M
    https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2011/06/01/us1m-container-scanner-now-fully-operational/
    and yes they look a drive thru archway.

    I can buy you a used one for $400,000 BUT that is not state of the art.

    @islandgal
    true. Every potential operator would have to be trained and then flown to several destination to ‘see them in use’, possibly to be accompanied by several ‘superiors’. Dat alone could cost $5 million.

  12. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    sorry I missed the tagline, which I stole

    #readingtuhrespondnottounderstand

    did you hear Vijay Singh is coming to play….must be a national disease….i’ll give Hal the last word..

  13. john2 Avatar
    john2

    Note the price of a gallon of honey in the article

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2019/03/24/beekeeping-can-get-economy-buzzing/

  14. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    That was blogmaster’s error with the pic. Now updated.

  15. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    NO
    Really? I don’t bump my gums. Come on, a scanner is for $1M and the current government will tell the people of Barbados it costs $20M. You people are losing all yuh mind.

    “A new $US12.4 million state-of-the art container scanner has been installed at the Haifa port to facilitate clearing of containers and enhance the quality of services delivered to customers.” http://www.port2port.com/article/Sea-Transport/Haifa-Customs-New-Container-Scanning-Facility-Inaugurated/

  16. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    The question Barbadians are entitled to have answered is what are the specs for the scanners ordered and how was the procurement processed managed.

  17. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    “She explained that the GRA acquired the container scanner in May 2010 at a cost of US$ 1 million, with funding from Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) / United States Agency International Development (USAID) and the Government of Guyana.”

    Even with cost for training, packing, transportation, maintenance and service contracts the built in the price of $20M per machine seem excessive. If there was any transparency we would all see how this US $20M was spent instead of number appearing out of the air.

    Are Guyanese better negotiators or does the graft continues ??… asking for a friend.

  18. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    David
    Therefore you can’t jump to post a scanner and its price in an attempt to create suspicion. It gives the impression that ALL scanners cost $1M. All I have done is shown that there are also others costing far more
    Some people buy a Kia, others a Benz. Wait and see if a Kia turns up with a Benz price attached. No further comment.

    TheOGaz – You’re a real johnny eh.🤣🤣🤣

  19. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    In the absence of information the public in the prevailing climate will jump at anything. It is up to the gatekeeper of the information (government) to share with the public. There is a reason why this government we are told employed a bevy of communications people.

  20. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    A small lesson…
    Here is the first paragraph of your post..
    “The new $US12.4 million scanning facility will enable customs to check 160 containers per day, 20 per hour, compared to 40 per day previously”🛑

    1) I will assume that with your dilligence, you were unable to unearth a US $20M price
    2) Note that the post give the old rate of scanning
    3) Note that it gives the new rate one from expect from the scanners

    That is the standard that the government of Barbados needs to move to and just stop throwing around made-up big numbers

    Wuhloss.. We get more information and better prices than what we get from our government

    ✋#ThisJohnnyDoesNotBuyBS
    ✋#PeddleItElsewhere
    ✋#GonnaMakeYouA_HonestBlogger

  21. TheOGAzerts Avatar
    TheOGAzerts

    Man, David working hard to clean up your silly mess.

    You think people are foolish. You think you can trot out nonsense and just put a smiley face and a hashtag on it

  22. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Another myth is that lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice…….

    Dale providing the cost of anything…
    ….
    How much Dodds cost again?

  23. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    I’m a tad fuzzy on detail but I seem to recall a similar confusion on prices by the same AG with either the Dodds Prison project or the ABC highway road widening project.The AG said one price was negotiated and then there was the matter of whether it was $US OR $BD that accounted for the change in cost.

  24. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    The-o-Gas
    Why would I seek to unearth a $US20M scanner? The last time I checked: $12.4Mx2x2=$49.6M, and $40M < $49.6M. By the way Guyana installed one for USD$4M last year too. You see a trend? You went HC fuh trute? You may now carry on…..with yourself. 🖐🏾

  25. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Man, you have people running interference for you.
    Gabriel trying to clean up saying the Minister did not mention US or BDS $
    It is the vagueness that we need to clean up.
    That looseness is the difference between $40 M and S80 M

    You assume BDS $ but these big ticket prices are usually in US $

    The blogger already saved AT LEAST $31 M BDS (80-49). Wunnah too smart and too crooked.

    I don’t know where you went, but they need ethics as a subject

    🖐🏾#YouWentBigSchool_ToLearnSmallBrainTricks

  26. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    The death has brought the number of murders for the year to 23, with 13 by the gun.

    http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/239650/dad-shot-dead

  27. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Yet there are those who want to believe that austerity measures does not have a negative effect on the social enviroment
    Here is a victim minding his business loses his life what can be attributed to a senseless act of violence
    Sooner or later as joblessness increase and there is no other avenue for some in society to find work
    Senseless murders would increase
    The IMF policies does not help to improve social enviroments but speak only to paying debt
    Govt has yet to put meangful plans in place which would adress unemployment as Bert continues to tear away at the heart of Barbados social enviroment leaving no stone unturned

  28. Lexicon Avatar
    Lexicon

    Hants

    Statistically this revelation is not to bad for a small island with a population of some three hundred thousand people … and 13 by gunfire …I wonder what the numbers were some four decades ago by stabbings?

  29. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    “Sooner or later as joblessness increase and there is no other avenue for some in society to find work…..Senseless murders would increase…..”

    I’m curious….

    Do you know the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting of the latest murder victim?

    Are you suggesting IMF/BERT policies are responsible for the 23 murders so far, in Barbados?

    If so, could you please direct BU to any information or statistical report that would support your claim?

    If 98% of the murders were as a result of revenge, gang related or domestic disputes, could you please explain BU how the IMF/BERT policies are responsible?

    Or is this another issue that has been politicized by a political alarmist?

  30. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    The truth of the matter is – WE NEED TO KNOW THE BREAKDOWN OF THE COSTS AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS.

    And we want to know if the results of the scanning will help bring THOSE TRULY RESPONSIBLE to justice.

    We want value for the money too!

  31. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ Artax

    “About what is causing our youth to become distracted with crime and violence the reasons are many. At the top of the pile is the rising incidence of poverty in working class hoods. This is supported by the 2010 Country Poverty Assessment Reports. Where there is poverty the lure of quick money will be a challenge, made more attractive in a morally bankrupt environment. Remember the BU household is entitled to an opinion.” David BU August 16, 2014

    So this position is nothing new. At that time there were 7 gun related compared with 2 the year before ( 2013 ).

  32. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    TheOGazerts
    I have always heard ‘don’t let the hammer hit the same finger twice’.Looks like somebody should tell that to the AG.

  33. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    We can continue in our self preserved ignorance pretending that unemployment at increased levels does not have an effect on crime
    Now pray tell it would be hard pressed not to associate the last victim death to a person whose moral compass is broken and who think it is necessary to kill and rob in order to survive
    As much as many blp supporters would like to bury head in the sand to find solace
    Statical analysis states that joblessness is an opening or a gateway for criminal activity

  34. Yatinkiteasy Avatar
    Yatinkiteasy

    Malta recently installed a state of the art container scanner for their port, which I`m sure handles more traffic than Bridgetown. Their cost 1.7 million Euros. Why do we need two of them, and what is the cost each..in US$$$
    What warranty and training is included.What maintenance is required, and who will provide? No Transparency at all!
    https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180127/local/new-container-scanner-will-provide-customs-with-a-major-x-ray-tool.669018

  35. Georgie Porgie Avatar
    Georgie Porgie

    Q Why do we need two of them,
    A ONE FOR SUNDAYS AND ONE FOR THE WEEK OR
    ONE FOR MORNINGS AND ONE FOR EVENINGS OR
    ONE FOR WHEN ONE BREK DOWN AND DUM IN GOT NUH BODY TO FIX UM

  36. Yatinkiteasy Avatar
    Yatinkiteasy

  37. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    @ Mariposa,

    You are right of course. It is standard criminological theory that there is a correlation between crime and unemployment, especially male crime. In Barbados our so-called criminologists pinpoint seven secondary schools.

  38. Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right Avatar
    Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right

    De ole man would ammmm mention which people IN DE PORTS does be benefitting from these kickbacks in addition to Teets but dat would be additional lawsuits heheheheh

    Lef dem to the Jnterpol Country Office

    De ole man does tell people “WATCH DE MONEY TRAIL all de time”.

    Whu effing one of de advice messages to *** was shown heah pun BU heheheh it would become quite clear dat all actions concerning *** is in fact whu de old man recommended in communications dated ***** and again on ***** as well as on ***

    In fact all communication from *** to *** would be deemed “communication with the enemy…”

    Whu boasie dem items would only get Mr. Vincent Codrington really concerned bout Piece de Legend heheheh.

    Wunna abandoned *** and that brought bile to my mouth but the wunna did *** and followed that by ***

    And that was the most unkindness cut of all WITHOUT ANY FORGIVENESS…

    Jes lef de ole MAN alone…and give me what is legally min..

    Do that and the other documents gine remain deah UNLESS wunna do a Kasshoggi pun muh den de whole world sees wunna as I does heheheh

    Here be a sample dat a feller sent to de ole MSN to show wunna dat he ent playing

    http://imgur.com/a/tNKEka7

    Give a feller whu is his and dem gine only campaign wunna in the “good governance” domain…

    Otherwise, it will not going be no “staying the course pep talks” heheheheh

  39. Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right Avatar
    Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right

    Your assistance please with an item here that speaks to electronically preserved information Honourable Blogmaster thank you

  40. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    Mr. Skinner

    I NEVER mentioned there wasn’t a correlation between unemployment and crime….. and I’m NOT disputing that fact.

    I have read working papers and reports in which the authors sought to examine the relationship between criminal activities and the unemployment rate. And based on the statistics they used, they hypothesized that higher rates of unemployment lead to an increase in crimes.

    It is a known fact that with unemployment, comes an increase in crimes such as burglary, muggings, robberies, fraud, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

    However, what I’m questioning is, in circumstances where some people prefer to become involved in gang and drug related activities, and in the process may commit murder to protect their turfs, drugs or for revenge……. and murder committed as a result of domestic or other disputes………. can be REASONABLY and RATIONALLY attributed to an austerity program.

    It’s okay, for political reasons, to make GENERALIZED STATEMENTS, such as “Statistical analysis states that joblessness is an opening or a gateway for criminal activity,” and innuendo, in an attempt to CONVINCE people into believing that ALL murders committed in Barbados so far this year, are as a result of unemployment or the IMF/BERT policies. All I’m asking for is a rational discussion on the issue.

    Let’s examine the 9 murders committed in January 2019.

    (1). Shaquille Toppin – allegedly an act of jealousy.
    (2). Ronald Rudder – dispute over drugs and revenge.
    (3). Daryl Harris – killed at his Barbarees Hill residence;
    (4). Martha Doyle – dispute with a male resident at Vauxhall Senior Citizens’ Home.
    (5). Joann Roach – allegedly killed by her son, Ramario Roach.
    (6). Sarah Sutrina – also allegedly killed by Ramario Roach.
    (7). Barry Taylor – stabbed to death in Cane Garden, St. Thomas.
    (8). Corey Parris – shot and killed in Baxter’s Road.
    (9). Jabar Lashley – killed in Britton’s Hill after being involved in an altercation with a youngster.

    Please bear in mind that BERT was introduced in 2018.

    On May 15, 2016, police issued a wanted bulletin seeking the assistance of the public in locating (murder victim #3) Ronald Raheim Rudder in connection with serious criminal matters.

    On February 24, 2017, police again issued a wanted bulletin seeking the assistance of the public in locating Ronald Raheim Rudder in connection with serious criminal matters.

    On September 23, 2018, police once again re-issued a wanted bulletin seeking the public assistance in locating Ronald Raheim Rudder.

    On January 11, 2019, Ronald Raheim Rudder was shot and killed while at Ridgeway Road in the Pine, by unknown assailants.

    On December 11, 2018, murder victim #3, Daryl Harris, was shot by an unknown assailant, while at Hinkson Gap, New Orleans. Harris is also known to the police.

    Ramario Roach was charged with murdering his mother, murder victims #5, Joann Roach and #6, Sarah Sutrina. His father said Ramario has “mental problems.”

    Ironically, in December 2012, police issued wanted bulletins for murder victims #7, Barry Taylor and #8, Corey Parris.

    In October 2017, murder victim #8 Corey Parris and a New Orleans resident were jointly charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

    Please note, Taylor and Parris were on the “radar” since 2012 (or perhaps before), while Rudder was on the “radar” since 2016 or perhaps before…………. and definitely before the introduction of BERT.

    Clearly, it is a bit difficult to conclude that the 9 murders in January 2019, could be attributed to the IMF or BERT.

    If a rational thinking individual (obviously NOT ME, as you know, I’m appallingly ignorant) were to take the argument to a “logical conclusion,” and ASSOCIATE their criminal activities WITH unemployment………then he/she would also have to take into consideration, the DLP’s “home grown” AUSTERITY MEASURES in 2014, which also saw an INCREASE in UNEMPLOYMENT………..

    ………….whereby, according to Caswell Franklyn, over 6,000 public sector employees being retrenched……. as well as several retrenchments in the private sector.

  41. Lexicon Avatar
    Lexicon

    Artax

    The persons who elect to traffic drugs do so because their want easy money … this kind of criminal activity has little to with draconian measures or an escalating unemployment rate, but share laziness … I have seen more gang violence associated with drug trafficking when the unemployment rate was lower than when it was higher … so the bottom-line is these people refuse to get a night to five because their want the quick money …

  42. Lexicon Avatar
    Lexicon

    Sorry a 9 to 5

  43. Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right Avatar
    Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right

    @ Artaxerxes the Archiver

    A superb construct that dispassionately describes the statistics and ascribes blame on the murders and murdered where it should be.

    The nuance which you posit being that while unemployment presents some challenges to the unemployed BERT or any other austerity measure can be definitively shown in many of these killings NOT TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE MURDERS.

    The person proposing a BERT/ERNIE cause for the murders has an objective to be served.

    You have deflated that point at May.

    By December when the yearly stats may be different, (I cannot comment on such since the Honourable Blogmaster and others here say that I delight in the projections of former Commissioner of Police Bernie Hinds) there may be some different stats that show that unemployment>the unemployed>crime>drug pushers>gangland slayings.

    You current posit however is sound but ManyPussy will not accept this

  44. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Puff Enuff

    Can you provide the complete breakdown on why these two scanners cost nearly 40 million? We need your valuable insight. What else is the 40 million paying for?

  45. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ Artax

    You must realize by now that I am not in the business of blaming any political party for the rise in criminal activity.
    I will not be drawn into such nonsense. I simply said that the belief that crime is linked to poverty or unemployment was posited here on BU before.
    Of course I expect the Bees and Dees to blame each other.
    Your position fortunately is not grounded in such nonsense and I totally agree with you.

  46. Lexicon Avatar
    Lexicon

    Old Man

    There is no correlation between gang violence and an escalating unemployment rate … a lot of people elect to do wrong because of a dysfunctional conscience … when a man pockets are empty he has the choice to either work, beg or rob etc …

  47. WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog Avatar
    WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog

    “Their cost 1.7 million Euros. ”

    BLP thieves…they don’t know when to stop.

  48. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    @ Lexicon.
    ,

    I have a better idea: why don’t we take all the unemployed to the Garrison and shoot them; in the meantime sell tickets to tourists so we could earn foreign currency. Make it an annual event.

  49. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Miss EU MM
    I will, when you provide a breakdown on why they should cost $1M or whatever is the price you feel. I am not the one disputing the price.

  50. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Puffie

    When did I say they cost 1 million? How can I provide a breakdown on why they should cost 1 million when I am interested in knowing why the price tag is 40 million. So take it away hon.

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