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More than half of the cargo scanners installed at Bangladesh’s sea and land ports are out of service, exposing the country to heightened security threats, customs duty evasion and slower cargo clearance, according to an intelligence report submitted to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

The report says only 13 of the country’s 29 cargo scanners are currently operational, while the remaining 16 are non-functional, forcing customs authorities to rely heavily on manual inspections.

It warns that the shortage of working scanners has increased the risk of smuggling arms, explosives and narcotics, while making it easier to evade customs duties through under-invoicing, false declarations and concealment of goods.

Customs officials, however, said some scanners have recently been repaired through the initiatives of individual customs houses.

Officials at Chattogram Customs House, Benapole and Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) said the NBR should establish a dedicated maintenance fund to ensure faulty scanners can be repaired without waiting for lengthy budget approvals.

They said delays in renewing maintenance contracts often leave critical equipment idle for long periods.

Although the intelligence report says 10 of the country’s 13 operational scanners are located at Chattogram Port, customs officials there said the port has eight scanners, of which four are currently operational.

One additional scanner is expected to become operational soon, while another awaits renewal of its maintenance agreement with the supplier. Efforts are underway to restore both remaining scanners within the next month, officials said.

The report says limited scanning capacity has increased congestion at the country’s main seaport by forcing customs officials to conduct manual examinations of containers.

The situation is also severe at other ports.

At Mongla Port, two under-vehicle scanners have remained out of service since February 2025, while several luggage scanners are also non-functional.

No container scanner is currently operational at either Kamalapur ICD or Pangaon ICD, requiring physical inspection of every container. According to the report, Pangaon’s fixed scanner has remained out of service since December 2020.

At Benapole Land Port, two luggage scanners have remained inoperative since October 2023 and February 2026, leaving only one operational. A senior customs official said the customs station had recently repaired the scanners using its own funds to speed up cargo clearance.

The scanner at Bhomra Land Port has been out of service since April 2024, while Sonamasjid Land Port has operated without a functional scanner since December 2020.

The report also says Tamabil, Akhaura and Burimari land ports currently have no functioning electronic scanning equipment, increasing the risk of cross-border smuggling.

It notes that smugglers are increasingly using so-called “luggage parties” to move illegal goods through ports lacking electronic surveillance.

The intelligence agency attributed the problem mainly to ageing equipment, expired maintenance contracts and difficulties in sourcing spare parts from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and China.

To address the situation, it recommended installing new scanners at all major ports, signing long-term maintenance contracts with suppliers, introducing regular preventive maintenance programmes and modernising border inspection infrastructure.

Economists said investing in modern scanning equipment would cost only a fraction of the revenue lost each year through customs duty evasion while improving border security and trade facilitation.

The report comes as Bangladesh seeks to improve logistics performance and customs efficiency, although Chattogram Port continues to lag behind many regional competitors in international port performance rankings.

World Bank Senior Transport Specialist Nusrat Nahid Babi said cargo scanners are essential for efficient customs operations.

“With trade volumes doubling every five years, we need to ensure the effective functioning of scanners and minimise manual inspections.”

She said many countries engage the private sector to provide scanning services.

“Bangladesh can adopt a similar approach by fostering a culture of trust and compliance and encouraging private sector participation in scanning services.”