The new technical tender prepared by Puertos del Estado to equip the ports of Algeciras, Valencia, and Vigo with new truck and container scanners opens the possibility for offers featuring US technology to compete. The current equipment at the Algeciras port has been inoperable since last February.
In 2020, the tender issued by the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) to renew the equipment, operational since 2006, was annulled. The highest-rated offer, from a company providing a Chinese scanner, was vetoed by the United States. This measure is part of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) program that the US launched after 9/11, and Washington has maintained a campaign against Chinese technology due to security concerns.
The new equipment, which must be operational within one year of contract signing, requires a more powerful device with better image quality and enhanced capacity for automated risk detection. The tender does not explicitly exclude Chinese or US technology, leaving room for a potential new geopolitical dispute at a critical infrastructure for cargo traffic.
Inspections, coordinated between the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and US authorities, analyze cargo destined for US ports, which has shown growing distrust towards Chinese technology.
A spokesperson for Customs indicated that although the main truck and container scanner has been out of order for nearly six months, inspections are being carried out using the Medusa van scanner and manual equipment. However, the Independent Union of Customs Workers (SIAT) warns that the provisional equipment is useful for small vehicles but not for containers, forcing physical opening of cargo, a much slower procedure.
Groups such as the anti-drug coordinator Alternativas and the Civil Guard association Jucil highlight the "security gap" caused by the main inspection equipment's lack of operation. Customs confirmed that the scanner will be repaired, and the Algeciras quay will have two operational units installed under tents in Isla Verde, a solution that SIAT considers risky due to potential storms.
In the 2020 tender, three candidates presented offers, working with major international brands. At least one offer included Chinese technology from Nuctech, while others were based on Western equipment such as Rapiscan and Smiths Detection. Nuctech is the largest Chinese manufacturer of security control equipment, and the US has pressured European governments to remove the company's scanners from their ports and airports due to security risks.
The new 2026 tender does not exclude Nuctech but facilitates participation from Western manufacturers. It specifies that the scanner must combine X-rays with an image highlighting organic material, fix the capacity to penetrate dense loads and distinguish small objects within containers, and better cover the lower part of trucks. Part of the offer's score will depend on software that automatically marks potential suspicious objects in the image.
