Getting up to speed

News-in-print 1 Oct 2016 by WCN Editorial

Speaking at the TOC Americas conference in Cancun this month, Anthony Otto, president of Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT), said the new automated terminal has made good progress since handling its first vessel in April this year, but he called on software suppliers to lift their game if automated terminals are to achieve their full potential.

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With electric ASCs, battery powered AGVs and shore power at every berth, LBCT’s environmental performance is “light years ahead of anyone else in the world” and, in terms of its stevedoring productivity, it is as productive as a manual terminal on the US west coast, said Otto.

However, concerning software suppliers, he said the industry should not to be satisfied with the performance automated terminals are delivering today, adding that a US$2B project like LBCT will not achieve ROI operating at the same pace as a manned operation. The industry needs “more skin in the game from software suppliers to push the limits of productivity”, he added.

At a highly automated terminal like LBCT, performance is largely controlled by software, and LBCT uses the Navis N4 3.0 TOS and the TEAMS equipment control software (ECS) from TBA, integrated with ABB’s crane control system.
LBCT wants to do significantly better than the 25-30 moves per hour that manned terminals typically achieve today – 14,000+ TEU vessels demand sustained productivity levels never recorded in the US, added Otto.

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This complete item is approximately 300 words in length, and appeared in the October 2016 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 1. To access this issue download the PDF here.