Swiss power and automation firm ABB has secured contacts from APM Terminals and Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) to provide automation systems for their new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes.
With ABB’s automation systems, the cranes will be able to operate remotely, without a driver on board, for enhanced overall efficiency.
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Scheduled to be opened in 2014, the two new terminals on the Maasvlakte II site at the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will be the first in Europe to use remote control of STS cranes.
STS cranes at the new terminals of APM and RWG are designed to lift to heights of over 50m to serve the largest container vessels.
ABB’s system for the remote control of STS cranes will be managed by crane operators through onboard cameras from a control room located in the terminal building.
The company said that with a crane operator on board, crane acceleration and deceleration rates are limited. When the crane is operated remotely without a driver on board, it can run faster and ramp times can be shorter, which allows shorter cycle times to unload an entire ship’s cargo, APM said.
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By GlobalDataIn June 2012, APM and RWG started the first phase of construction on a 2.7 million teu terminal on Maasvlakte II site.
The Port of Rotterdam has already built the 108ha site with a quay wall of 1,150m, a quayside depth of 20m and a 550m quay designed for barges.
Construction of the terminal is scheduled to be complete in 2014, with operations expected to start in November 2014.
Following completion, it will feature fully automated rail and barge terminals, with an initial four rail tracks and cargo handling capacity of 2.35 million teu.
The company said that the use of electrification of all equipment and green energy generated power will enable the terminal to operate with zero CO2, NOx and particulate emissions.
The new terminal will be equipped with 14 ZPMC quay cranes, while horizontal transport of the containers from the quayside to the stack will be carried out by 59 automatic guided vehicles (AGVs).
Image: ABB’s automation systems will allow STS cranes to operate remotely at Maasvlakte II container terminals. Photo: The Port of Rotterdam.
