PSA joins the platoon

In-Depth 1 Jan 2017 by WCN Editorial

Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MoT) and PSA Corporation this month signed agreements with Scania and Toyota Tsusho to “design, develop and test-bed an autonomous truck platooning system for use on Singapore’s public roads” over three years.

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PSA is looking to truck platooning for inter-terminal transfers, using a system where a manned truck leads a “platoon” of driverless trucks following behind. The technology needs to be able to manage the situation where a car or other vehicle pulls into the platoon between two automated vehicles.

Truck platooning trials will take place in two phases over a three-year period from January 2017 to December 2019. The first phase will see Scania and Toyota continue research and testing at their centres in Sweden and Japan, respectively. “Depending on the outcomes of the phase 1 trials, MoT and PSA Corporation will then select one of the companies for phase 2, which will consist of local trials and some development of the technology in Singapore,” PSA and the MoT stated.

A 10 km-long test route along the West Coast Highway between the Brani and Pasir Panjang Terminals has been designated for the phase 2 trials initially, but this “may eventually be scaled up for haulage within the port area, as well as between Pasir Panjang Terminals and Tuas Port”.

Inter-terminal transfer demands in Singapore will change significantly in the coming years. PSA’s lease on the Brani, Tanjong Pagar and Keppel terminals expires in 2027, but it is believed the plan is to cease container operations long before then – Tanjong Pagar, in fact, reportedly handled its last container vessel on 31 December 2016. PSA is, at present, continuing to develop Pasir Panjang, while at the same time developing the new Tuas mega port, which is scheduled to start operations in 2020.

Eventually, there could be no demand at all for inter-terminal transfers, as PSA’s long-term plan is to consolidate all container operations at Tuas. When Tuas was announced, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, minister for transport, said one of the benefits of consolidating all PSA’s operations at one mega terminal would be to “eliminate this need for inter-terminal haulage”.

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This complete item is approximately 300 words in length, and appeared in the January 2017 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 15. To access this issue download the PDF here.