A day-in-the life of a Swedish Customs Official - heightened security threats

APM Terminals spoke to Joakim Olsson, a customs official at the Swedish Customs Agency in the Port of Gothenburg for 30 years. His main assignment is checking containers arriving at the port by truck, train, and ship, to stop illegal goods and prevent fraud, inaccuracies and smuggling in the supply chain. 

How does a container inspection work?

"Containers are selected on the basis of a manifesto and a checking proposal is then created that specifies what the assignment is. The container is blocked in Navis (terminal operating system) and transported to the scanning area with help from APM Terminals. After scanning, the images are analysed to check whether the contents match what has been declared and whether there are hidden goods in the container. If everything is in order, we aim to get the container back into production quickly, in order to minimise the impact on the legal flow." 

What does it mean for you to have your place of business next to APM Terminals?

"We're pleased with the understanding shown by APM Terminals regarding the fact that we need to be active inside the port and be part of container management. This means increased safety, as containers containing illegal goods do not have to leave the port area, and unnecessary interruptions are minimised. Soon we'll be making it possible to move the scanner to the quay area if necessary, in partnership with APM Terminals. This means that even when very suspicious containers are unloaded from the vessel, Swedish Customs will be ready with inspections and personnel." 

Can you describe what it's like to work with APM Terminals?

"We work very closely together. If there's a high degree of suspicion, we always engage in dialogue with APM Terminals about how best to proceed and, if necessary, get help to reach the production area in a safe way. APM Terminals also provides us with expert knowledge in areas such as heavy lifting, or anything else that we don't have the equipment or expertise to carry out." 

What types of goods do you stop from coming in?

"Anything that could threaten the country’s welfare or safety. Customs doesn't just work on drug smuggling, but this is a fairly common misconception. Sometimes it could be purely incorrect declarations, in which case it's our job to reprimand the importer. We have to have equal conditions in the marketplace for business owners. Recently, we've stopped a lot of goods that are quite unsafe, such as toys that don't have the right safety standards, products that are treated with carcinogenic chemicals, or prohibited medicines. Brand infringement is also something we're working to fight, i.e. counterfeit products sent to Sweden and sold as genuine articles. We check to make sure we keep a fair level of competitiveness within Europe. This is an EU directive.

Of course, we're also working against the illegal flow of narcotics. Swedish Customs have been very successful with checks for many years and we're working actively to reach the entire chain of suppliers and recipients, not just the illegal products themselves. One example is when we found 1.2 tonnes of narcotics, hidden in marble tiles. The prosecutor’s decision resulted in a controlled delivery so that we could release the container, follow the chain and get to the recipients. We succeeded with this, with the help of several different government agencies."

The security situation in Europe has been heightened. How does this affect you?

We've increased capacity to ensure our own security in the face of an increased threat to Sweden and Europe. For example, we train our staff about products with double applications, i.e. products that can be repurposed for use in the war industry. Ionising radiation can be found in several places around the world, and it could very likely appear here at the Port of Gothenburg. We have equipment that reads whether or not there is radioactivity among the goods."

What’s the strangest thing you’ve found in a container?

"I’ve seen pretty much everything, but one day when I opened a container, little yellow ants came falling down. An expert from the Universeum science centre confirmed that the ants would not survive for very long in the Swedish climate. With the help of APM Terminals, the container was transported away and the ants exterminated with gas" 

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