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E-borders ferry waiting warning E-borders ferry waiting warning
(10 minutes later)
Britain's ferry ports could be brought to a halt by the government's flagship e-borders scheme, the UK Chamber of Shipping has warned MPs.Britain's ferry ports could be brought to a halt by the government's flagship e-borders scheme, the UK Chamber of Shipping has warned MPs.
Scanning the passports of all car and coach passengers could double waiting times, policy manager Tim Reardon told the home affairs committee.Scanning the passports of all car and coach passengers could double waiting times, policy manager Tim Reardon told the home affairs committee.
Electronic exit and entry controls at UK ports and airports are due to be fully operational by 2014.Electronic exit and entry controls at UK ports and airports are due to be fully operational by 2014.
They allow passports to be checked against an "alert list" in real time.They allow passports to be checked against an "alert list" in real time.
Mr Reardon said passport checks currently took about 20 seconds but under the new system they could take 45 seconds or more.
"That is a significant increase and we don't believe it could be accommodated at peak times... it would be like trying to jam a square peg into a round hole," he told the committee.
He said the shipping industry was working with the Home Office to find a way of speeding the process up.
But he added: "We are trying to find a way. We haven't yet found one. It is possible there isn't a solution there to be found."