Cargo Business Newswire

.dwuser_maximenu_content_holder { overflow: scroll !important; } Powered by DWUser.com - Flash Menus, Drop down menus, popup menus and Dreamweaver Extensions

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Automated container-handling to be featured at APM Terminals' new Rotterdam facility

Global marine facilities operator APM Terminals announced it is building a new container terminal at Maasvlakte II at the Port of Rotterdam that the company says "promises to set the pace for new terminal design" by automating a key process of container-handling and movement.

Slated to open in November 2014, APM's Rotterdam terminal will utilize ship-to-shore cranes that unload containers directly onto a fleet of automated guided vehicles that can shuttle two boxes at a time to a container yard, guided by an on board navigation system that follows a transponder grid, the company said in a statement.

"Too often, quayside crane productivity is hampered by container yard activities not keeping pace," said Frank Tazelaar, managing director for APM Terminal's Massvlakte II operation.

"Our estimates show we can deliver 25-50 percent productivity improvement results for our customers versus conventional terminal designs," Tazelaar said.

The 15-meter-long shuttle vehicles are powered by diesel-electric motors and will be controlled through a fleet management system, the company said.

"The software optimizes the deployment of the fleet and the travel distance of the individual vehicles. The system will be seamlessly integrated with our equipment control and other operating systems, so that we can better manage our container yard for our customers," said Tazelaar.

Safety in a high-traffic container yard will be another benefit, according to APM Terminals.

"The automated area is fenced off to protect dockworkers and truckers from entering. Additional safety systems ensure that the system is stopped when people enter the automated area," the company said.