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Road to fully automatic container terminals is open - let's take it: APMT

CONTAINER terminals must meet volume growth and vessel growth challenge with fully integrated automation, says APM Terminals chief designer Alex Duca.

Speaking in Hamburg at TOC Europe, Mr Duca said: "What we want is a more integrated container terminal encompassing control systems and equipment functions, instead of today's fragmented activity."



With bigger ships, pressure on terminal operations to avoid congestion during peak periods has become an increasingly important in planning, he said.



Mr Duca said better use must be made of equipment sensors and systems that combine with logistical information provided by terminal systems if automation's true potential is to be achieved.



Container volume handled by the world's ports is projected to reach 720 million TEU this year, double that of 13 years ago. 



Physical constraints on the number of cranes which can work a ship, even ones as large as 20,000 TEU, and the need to move containers from the terminal without congestion, or reducing safety risks, are driving the next phase of terminal design, he said.



"The biggest business opportunity is in retrofitting existing terminals with the automation of key processes to enhance our current operational performance," said Mr. Duca.



"This is where you can evaluate some of the specific modules within a container terminal to see which processes can be improved through automation," he said. 
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