Everyone has undoubtedly experienced it before: customs has selected your container for physical verification. During such physical verification, it is compulsory to be able to present a gas-free report. This is important to guarantee the safety of customs officials and quayside agents.
To be able to present a gas-free report, a gas measurement must be carried out. This gas measurement is carried out by an authorised company, which checks whether there is an excessive concentration of certain gasses in the container. If the level of gasses complies with the rules, physical verification can commence.
But what if the concentration of gasses in the container is too high, making physical verification impossible? With summer lurking around the corner and temperatures rising, the risk of non-compliant gas readings is higher.
If the concentration of gasses in the container is too high, the decision lies with customs. They decide whether they actually want to physically check the goods or not based on a risk analysis. They can also decide to verify this by checking the accompanying documents. If customs decides to physically check the goods, the container will be transferred to an authorised ventilation point.
The container is ventilated for at least 24 hours at this authorised ventilation point. After ventilation, another measurement takes place. If this is satisfactory, the container can be presented to customs again. If the gas concentration in the container still does not drop sufficiently, a safety dossier is drawn up. This dossier contains a procedure and measures to safely carry out a physical inspection. After approval of this dossier, the check can be planned in consultation with customs.