Smart Ports and Safe Borders: The Economic and Environmental Impact of Muon-Based Inspection

Efficient and reliable inspection of cargo containers remains a structural challenge for modern seaports, where growing commercial flows must coexist with stringent security requirements. Conventional X-ray and gamma-ray Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) systems, though widely deployed, suffer from inherent limitations: high operational costs, radioprotection constraints, limited penetration in dense cargo, and the inability to scale beyond single-container inspection.

This study presents a quantitative assessment of a next-generation inspection paradigm based on Muon Scattering Tomography (MST), using large-area Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) and sub-100 ps Time-of-Flight (ToF) momentum tagging. Through physics-based simulations, port-workflow reconstructions, and techno-economic modelling calibrated on European terminal data, we compare MST with the X-ray baseline.

Results indicate that MST can reduce inspection-cycle time by 60–80% by enabling parallel scanning of 4-5 containers, eliminating radiological delays, and lowering secondary-inspection rates. The economic model predicts €8–12 million annual savings for a medium-size terminal, driven by reduced crane occupancy, diminished dwell time, and lower radioprotection overheads. Environmentally, MST decreases energy consumption and embedded carbon, yielding an estimated 90-tonne annual CO₂e reduction for a 30,000-container flow.

While these findings require validation in real port environments, the combined evidence suggests that MST constitutes a structurally different inspection regime—passive, scalable, and compatible with smart-port logistics. As European ports pursue digitalization and Green Deal targets, MST emerges as a promising pathway toward high-throughput, low-carbon, and security-enhanced border management.