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Tag: Shipping

Transport of Villas for Red Sea Resort

Posted on by Keith McKinley

P&O Maritime Logistics, a leading provider of critical logistics and marine solutions, will use its versatile Multi Carrying Vessel (MCV) fleet to transport off-site manufactured pre-finished volumetric hotel villas to the Sheybarah Island Resort on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Coast.

P&O Maritime Logistics has signed a new contract with global heavy lifting and transport specialist Mammoet to transport the unique hotel villas, all the way from Hamriyah to the Sheybarah Island Resort.

The two companies are supporting Red Sea Global in its ambitious project, which champions regenerative tourism and sustainable development in the Kingdom.

The Sheybarah Island Resort is a cornerstone project and part of the Saudi 2030 vision and will consist of a total of 73 uniquely shaped and prefabricated villas, some of which will hover above the island’s diverse ecosystem. The stainless-steel orbs were conceptualised by Oppenheim Architecture, based in Miami and designed by Killa Design, the same designers of Dubai’s Museum of the Future, promising a unique experience for guests when the resort opens. With mangroves, beaches and coral reefs, the resort will utilise the latest sustainable and eco-friendly technologies to preserve and enhance the local environment.

The MCVs selected for the project were serviced in drydock facilities before the contract in order to limit their possible impact on local marine life – and their ballast systems were filled with water from the Red Sea to reduce the chance of introducing foreign organisms. Additionally, the shallow draft of MCVs and with the versatile thruster arrangement used on P&O Maritime Logistics vessels mean that there will be minimal disturbance of the shallow seabed.

Additionally, The MCVs’ shallow draft makes them an ideal vessel for accessing areas where larger ships are unable to fit due to their size. The MCVs have the unique ability to allow efficient and timely delivery to site using the just-in-time principle, with minimal congestion for the production facility and project site, delivering a cost-effective customer solution.

Martin Helweg, CEO of P&O Maritime Logistics, said: “As a company headquartered in Dubai, we regularly operate in the Red Sea and around the Middle East. It is particularly exciting that our MCV fleet has been so successful in this region on a variety of projects.”

P&O Maritime Logistics, a subsidiary of DP World, recently chartered a new route between the Port of Jeddah and Port Sudan, where its MCV fleet is carrying containers across the Red Sea for the first time, brining additional volumes and reducing waiting times for main line carriers.

Helweg continued: “We are also delighted to be supporting Mammoet in the development of the Sheybarah Island Resort, as part of Red Sea Global’s Red Sea mandate. Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and transporting the villas is just one example of how we are increasing our capacity for projects that promote sustainable development.”

P&O Maritime Logistics owns and operates 400 vessels worldwide, providing a wide portfolio of value-add services to customers. Guided by DP World‘s industry-leading approach to sustainability, P&O Maritime Logistics supports its customers in building a more sustainable future by creating flexible solutions and ensuring both operational efficiency and excellence.

Jad Ayoub, Project Director for Mammoet said: “We are pleased to have P&O Maritime Logistics supporting us with the shipment of villas for the Sheybarah Island Resort. We have selected P&O Maritime Logistics for its vessels with shallower drafts that will have minimal impact on the sensitive marine environment of the Red Sea. With Mammoet’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and sustainability being the vision for the project, it was crucial to partner with a company that ensures their operations and values are aligned with ours.”

Ocean Freight LCL Service from UK to India

Posted on by David Priestman

With the weak pound providing opportunities for UK exporters currently, Davies Turner is delivering a further boost to its ocean freight services between the UK and the Indian sub-continent with the launch of a direct weekly LCL (less than container load) service to Nhava Sheva.

Davies Turner’s previous service to Nhava Sheva was via transhipment in Jebel Ali, but by going direct, the UK freight forwarding and logistics company can offer a fast 25 day transit time port to port.

Consolidation of cargo in the UK is undertaken at one of Davies Turner’s regional distribution centres at Birmingham, Bristol, Cumbernauld, Dartford, or Manchester, for the weekly ocean freight service that departs from London Gateway port.

John Adams, Davies Turner’s Head of Trade – Middle East, ISC & South Africa, says: “India’s population of 1.4 billion people and a domestic market that is growing year on year, means there is large demand for imported goods from Europe. Our latest service improvement will help to support clients who want to use Nhava Sheva as a gateway by providing a quicker, efficient and cost effective service option.”

The dedicated weekly service to Nhava Sheva also has direct links to the following inland container depots (ICDs) – Ahmedabad, Garhiharsaru, Ludihana and Patparganj (New Delhi).

The new direct ocean freight LCL operation adds to other similar direct services that Davies Turner offers to gateways in Asia, Middle East, South Africa and USA including Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Durban and New York, as well as services to other areas of India that are offered via transshipment at Singapore.

Export Consolidation to South Africa Offered

Posted on by David Priestman

Growth in Dachser UK’s Air & Sea Logistics (ASL) activities continues apace with the introduction of regular consolidated freight services on the export trade to South African destinations.

With weekly departures to Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth the service is designed to help optimize customers’ supply chains. Dachser ASL provides the opportunity to ship smaller, less-than-containerload (LCL) shipments on a frequent basis without the necessity of delaying supplies until a larger quantity of goods are available to fill a container. Dachser’s reputation for quality and reliability, supported by its well-established IT tracking system, enhances shippers’ visibility and control.

“Supply chain disruption in the post-pandemic international trade environment has driven a need by shippers to often react more quickly to market demand with smaller quantities of goods to be delivered seamlessly,” said Chris Radley, Air & Sea Branch Manager at Dachser Northampton. “Our consolidated, or LCL services are tailored to fulfil this developing need and the new UK to South Africa offering is already proving popular.”

The recently inaugurated Dachser export consolidation service features vessel departures with preferred ocean carrier partners from London Gateway with transit times to the South African ports of between 26 and 30 days. All handling services including customs clearance are reliably provided by experienced, dedicated Dachser teams in both the UK and South Africa. Local hubs and CFS stations convenient to both shippers and consignees are utilised and hazardous goods are also catered for.

“Dachser’s well-established and much vaunted track and trace platform is available to monitor all shipments,” emphasises Radley. “Our eLogistics platform delivers peace of mind to our customers throughout the UK and South Africa, whether they are shipping freight throughout Europe or around the world. Our own network of offices enables a degree of reassurance and reliability which now extends to UK exporters of groupage cargo to South Africa,” he concludes.

Dachser, a family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, provides transport logistics, warehousing, and customized services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter is divided into two business lines, Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s offerings. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems provide for intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Short Sea boost for London Thamesport

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The range of short sea container services available from Hutchison Ports London Thamesport is to be increased following the announcement by Viasea Shipping of a new service from the South East UK port.

Commenting on the new sailing, Mark Taylor, Director, London Thamesport, said:
“London Thamesport is already well established as one of the leading short sea container ports in the South East of England and offers excellent service levels in both quayside and landside operations. We are delighted that Viasea Shipping has chosen Thamesport as its gateway into the region. The addition of their UK-Norway service complements the regular and reliable connections we already have to Northern and Southern Europe. We look forward to working with them over the coming years to increase the range, frequency and reliability of options for shippers.”

Morten Pettersen, Managing Director of Viasea said:
“The south of UK has significant volumes of import/export to Northern Europe and Baltic region. Adding a call at London Thamesport will allow us to assist UK shippers and receivers to reduce their reliance on the heavily congested Channel crossings and will allow greater predictability for deliveries. It will also offer a greener route reducing the distances travelled by road as we bring our vessel closer to the market in this region.”

Norwegian-owned Viasea Shipping, established in 2016, is an independent short sea operator connecting Norway with the UK, Europe and the Baltic states. The new service from London Thamesport will call weekly with connections to Moerdijk and the Norwegian ports of Oslo, Moss and Kristiansand, with onward connections into the Baltic and Poland.

Hutchison Ports London Thamesport is located on River Medway near London, in the heart of South East England, 35 miles from Central London. The terminal provides road and rail links to the UK’s important manufacturing and distribution centres and is ideally positioned to serve as a port of entry for UK-bound short-sea container traffic as well as infrastructure projects around London.
Hutchison Ports London Thamesport is a member of Hutchison Ports, the ports and related services division of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited. Hutchison Ports is the world’s leading port investor, developer and operator with a network of port operations in 51 ports spanning 25 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. Over the years, Hutchison Ports has expanded into other logistics and transportation-related businesses, including cruise ship terminals, distribution centres, rail services and ship repair facilities.

Tangier Port Maintains Leadership in Med

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Tangier Port / Tanger Med Port complex handled 107,822,662 tons in 2022, an increase of 6% compared to 2021, thus maintaining its ranking as the busiest port in the Mediterranean. This traffic is expected to represent about 54% of the total port tonnage handled in the Kingdom of Morocco.

Container Traffic on the rise

Excellent productivity levels were achieved over the past year and the record bar of 700,000 TEUs handled per month was surpassed. The Port Complex handled 459,091 trucks in 2022, up 13% from 2021. This good dynamic of the national exports was primarily driven by the industrial and agri-business sectors with respectively growths of 22% and 11%.

478,589 new vehicles were handled at the two vehicle terminals of Tanger Med Port Complex in 2022, up 11% compared to 2021. The traffic mainly consists of 295,393 vehicles for export produced by the Renault plants in Melloussa and SOMACA, and 124,112 vehicles for export produced by the Stellantis (Peugeot) plant in Kénitra.

Liquid bulk traffic grew by 6% compared to 2021. A total of 9,260,711 tons of hydrocarbons were processed. Solid bulk traffic recorded a total of 404,007 tons handled, an 18% increase over last year, largely due to sheet metal coil and grain traffic.

Passenger activity fully resumed in 2022 after the COVID-19-related health restrictions of 2020 and 2021. 2 071 504 passengers have transited through the Port Complex last year. In 2022, a total of 14,404 ships called at Tanger Med Port Complex, an increase of 32% compared to 2021, including 961 mega-ships (over 290 meters).

This growth is mainly due to the increase in productivity of container terminals for the reception and processing of mega-ships, as well as the resumption of crossings for passenger traffic especially during the Marhaba 2022 campaign. The performances achieved in 2022 are the result of the commitment and continuous collaboration of all Tanger Med Partners, in particular concessionaires, shipowners, local authorities and administrations.

Port of Antwerp-Bruges Stable in 2022

Posted on by David Priestman

2022 was a year of challenges for Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Geopolitical tensions, the energy crisis and ongoing disruptions in supply chains made their presence felt and, in addition to shifts within the various commodity flows, put sustained pressure on the container segment. This affected throughput, which was down 0.7% year-on-year to 286.9 million tons of cargo. However, the flood of new investments and projects confirms the attractiveness of the unified port and the added value of the complementarity of the two port platforms.

The challenges were most palpable in container traffic. Global disruptions within container shipping, and the resulting congestion with peak call sizes and delays, put pressure on volumes throughout the year. In addition, the conflict in Ukraine caused a decrease in Russia-related traffic by 59%. And while operational challenges at container terminals and congestion have been slowly easing since the third quarter, high energy prices and economic uncertainty have caused a slowdown in demand for container traffic. As a result, container throughput fell 8.6% in tons and 5.2% in TEUs in 2022, compared with a strong 2021, back to pre-pandemic levels.

The war in Ukraine, the sanctions against Russia and the energy crisis greatly changed the energy landscape and flows in Europe, which translated into strong growth in bulk cargo. Dry bulk throughput increased by 13.8% in 2022. Coal throughput, in particular, experienced a sharp increase (+210%) due to the substantial rise in demand for coal powered generation. Fertilisers, however, declined by 18.3% due in part to sanctions on Russia and significantly higher fertiliser prices.

The liquid bulk segment grew 10%, mainly due to a 61.3% increase in demand for LNG as an alternative to natural gas via pipelines from Russia. There was also growth for LPG (+30%), gasoline (+7%), diesel/fuel oil (+9.9%) and naphtha (+7.5%). Chemicals throughput, which had its best year ever in 2021, began to decline in mid-2022 due to increased energy prices that put pressure on the European chemicals sector; volumes ended up by just 1% compared with 2021.

After record figures in 2021, conventional breakbulk (+1.1%) held up well in the first half of the year due to growth in the throughput of steel, the main commodity group within this segment. Starting in the third quarter, steel volumes declined as a result of the slowing economy.

Total roll-on/roll-off traffic saw an increase of 6.5%. More than 3.26 million new cars were handled in 2022, an annualised growth of 10.5%. Throughput of ‘high & heavy’ rolling stock increased by 9.6%, while throughput of used cars and trucks decreased by 13.2% and 17%. respectively. Unaccompanied cargo (excluding containers) grew 10.0%, a significant portion of which was related to the United Kingdom (+4.9%) and Ireland (+35%).

In 2022, Zeebrugge welcomed 144 cruise ships with 547,374 passenger movements, a firm increase compared to the 23 ships and 75,854 passenger movements from last year when cruise shipping was largely at a standstill due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, calls have already been booked up to 2026 and beyond.

Strong as a unified port

The flood of new investments and projects since the merger of the Antwerp and Zeebrugge port platforms confirms the attractiveness and added value of the unified port. The resilience of both port platforms has allowed important steps to be taken in projects that contribute to the port’s sustainable growth and pioneering role in the energy transition. The projects are ready to be further rolled out in 2023 through unified efforts with partners. The hydrogen strategy to make the port a European hydrogen hub for the import, local production and throughput of green hydrogen and hydrogen carriers will be further refined.

The completion of the first part of the NextGen District, the future hotspot for the circular economy, is almost complete and the first spade will go into the ground in 2023. As part of the Port Authority’s ‘greening’ of its fleet, the Hydrotug and Methatug, the world’s first hydrogen and methanol-fuelled tugs, are making an appearance. And the Digital Twin, the digital copy of the port area with real-time info via sensors, drones and smart cameras, will be deployed on both platforms in 2023 to further build a smart, safe and smoothly-operated port.

Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “2022 was, once again, an eventful year, with many logistical and geopolitical challenges. As a world port, we are at the centre of this drama and are holding up well. Thanks to the complementarity of both platforms, we can already see the added value of the merger and, as a unified port, we are much stronger in the face of future challenges. Moreover, with our strong international position, we can make a difference in challenges such as the energy transition. Together with our partners and thanks to financial support, such as the important European funding of 500 million euros for the Antwerp and Kairois@C projects, we can live up to our pioneering role and realise climate impact that reaches far beyond the port’s borders.”

Annick De Ridder, Vice-Mayor of the City of Antwerp and President of the board of directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “Despite several significant challenges, together with our partners we have demonstrated our determination and resilience. We remained true to our long-term mission of building a sustainable port. After all, we must fully cherish and strengthen our port as a strategic asset. We are therefore putting our shoulders to the wheel on issues such as the nitrogen dossier, PFAS pollution and the increasingly urgent need for additional container capacity so that our port can continue to fulfil its role as the economic engine of Flanders and we can be a sustainable port that reconciles economy, people and climate.”

Dirk De fauw, Mayor of the City of Bruges and Vice President of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “The fact that, despite the challenges, we also achieved so many successes in 2022 makes me very proud. First, of course, 2022 was the year of the merger and therefore a historic year. We have also seen important breakthroughs in the field of energy transition with, among other things, the hydrogen plant HyOffWind in Zeebrugge and the Warmtenet Antwerpen Noord. As a world port, however, we would like to do more than create prosperity and jobs. Therefore, we are fully committed to a sustainable future with our environment. The ‘side by side’ environmental communication campaign, the Connection Bridge, the transformation of Fort Filips and the Tall Ships Races are a few great examples of this.”

Supply Chain Industry Fears for 2023

Posted on by David Priestman

Container xChange has released a Container LogTech predictions report for 2023, which highlights important global trends that the shipping and supply chain industry will witness in 2023. The report draws attention to some of the most pertinent issues that industry will witness this year thereby helping professionals to prepare better for navigation.

“The overall outlook for the year 2023 remains gloomy. Europe is hit hard with an all-time high inflation; China struggles to cope with the virus and the US continues to witness hinterland transportation challenges and labour unrest. Most of these challenges will stay in 2023. Consumer confidence will pick up, but it really depends on whether we witness more disruptions in the coming times.” said Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO, Container xChange, an online container logistics platform.

Most of the experts surveyed foresee that inflation and recession will have a greater impact this year and will be the biggest driver of disruptions.

‘‘Due to inflation increasing, there’ll be more unrest in the labour market which will certainly lead to more strikes, specifically in Europe, the UK and North America. And as we have seen before, strikes result in slow operations within the port which can exacerbate supply issues.’’ said Aamir S. Mir, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Caspian Container Company SA as part of the interviews.

Talking of rates, the report further predicts that the Long-term shipping contract rates will see an uptick in 2023, though gradually. This slow increase applies to all modes of transport. With negotiations going on to bring contract rates in line with spot rates, a reset is expected. On the other hand, until there is a balance reached between supply and demand, forwarders will favour short-term contracts until the rates stabilize. “Freight forwarders will employ a ‘wait and see’ approach before making any long-term air cargo capacity commitments particularly.” the report claims.

Trucking rates for both dry and reefer cargos will continue to drop in 2023. Freight tonnage will continue to contract as market conditions and volumes return to pre-pandemic numbers.
The unresolved worker strikes of 2022 will spill over in 2023. Furthermore, the chances of new strikes coming up are high due to inflation-related rise in prices putting pressure on workers’ disposable incomes. Labor dissatisfaction might grow in European and North American economies. In that case, it will cause disruptions in global supply chains.

‘‘Two, almost three exceptional years for carriers are definitely coming to an end. They will have to adapt back to lower margins due to a different supply and demand balance. Many customers, forced into high-cost contracts during the up-cycle, will come for revenge in the down cycle. And regulatory pressures, following excessive profits might appear on top of that, be it through bodies like FMC, EU or China’s MOC, as they each reviewing alliance exemptions, new taxation regulations, or precedence cases from several complaints raised by shippers at different institutions.’’ said Ruben Huber, Founder and Director, OceanX.

The report further covers the growing expectation of 3PL (third party logistics) market to solidify in 2023. Reportedly, it’s projected to reach $1,789.74 billion by 2027. Another key trend on the list is around the digital transformation of the industry. In the years to come, the adoption of digital technologies in shipping will focus on vessel schedules, intuitive booking interfaces, instant slot booking, and capacity confirmations. In this regard, the industry’s major concern will be on having systems interact directly via automating the Data-Analysis-Decision-Action cycle.

Wilhelmshaven Connects to South Germany

Posted on by Keith McKinley

EUROGATE Intermodal GmbH (EGIM), Hamburg-based provider of combined transport, will include EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (CTW) in its network of rail connections starting mid-January 2023.

Beginning 16th January 2023, EGIM will add Wilhelmshaven, Germany’s only deep-water port, to its portfolio of connections. In Q1, EGIM will offer direct services between CTW and Duisburg, Munich, Nuremberg and Kornwestheim. Shortly after, connections to Ulm, Mannheim and Frankfurt/Main will be added to the offering in Q2. By June 2023, EGIM plans to increase its frequency of connections to 13 roundtrips per week.

Sustainable rail transport is important for the future development of Wilhelmshaven, and the direct connections now available to the JadeWeserPort (JWP) by electric locomotive are a key part of the port’s sustainable growth. As part of its own strategy, EGIM is committed to strengthening its range of climate-friendly transport solutions to destinations across both southern Germany and western Germany. Here, new corridors are being consistently opened, and in the future, these areas will have new connections to Wilhelmshaven. The expansion of rail infrastructure between Wilhelmshaven and regions along the Rhine will further accelerate this development and change the flow of cargo, as trains will be able to travel directly and efficiently to the quayside in Lower Saxony.

All new Wilhelmshaven connections can also be booked via railMybox, the fully digital booking platform launched in early May 2022. This user-friendly system, which offers guaranteed capacity at fixed price, is recording a steady increase in registrations and bookings.

As the shipping sector sees a new generation of super-sized container vessels, JWP’s 18-metre water depths allow the huge new ships to dock fully loaded, independent of the tide at any time of night or day. Eight shipping lines have already included JWP in their schedules and are benefitting from the port’s advantageous positioning. As a result of the port’s increasing importance, CTW is experiencing high growth rates and achieved a record-breaking throughput of 712,953 TEU in 2021.

EUROGATE Intermodal GmbH (EGIM) is an international service provider for container transport headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Part of the EUROGATE Group, EGIM is one of Germany’s leading neutral providers of combined transport for containers by rail and road.
EGIM is a founding member of the private rail service company boxXpress.de GmbH, and with this product, connects the German North Sea ports and Rotterdam with eleven terminals in southern Germany and Hungary. Alongside its rail services, EGIM offers services for the first and last mile via truck.
Through its sister company Hannibal, which belongs to the Italian Contship Group, EGIM offers connections to Italy via its central hub Munich, thereby also connecting the southern ports to the network.

$600m submitted on DP World Trade Finance platform

Posted on by David Priestman

Efforts to close the $1.7tn annual global trade finance gap are gaining traction, especially in the small-to-medium-enterprise (SME) sector, with DP World announcing that its platform has received requests for more than $600m in credit limits.

DP World Trade Finance offers businesses of every size a quick and simple route to secure the capital they need to trade in global markets. The aim is to bridge the $1.7tn of trade finance gap that exists, stemming from struggles that many business face in securing the upfront funds required to move cargo.

Since its launch in July 2021, DP World Trade Finance has generated over $600m in credit limit submissions by facilitating a streamlined connection between SMEs and financial institutions on its trade finance platform. The platform has registered over 56,000 global clients from more than 50 countries around the world to provide them with affordable access to trade finance.

The latest financial institution to join the platform is India Factoring and Finance Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a leading, independent provider of specialised trade finance products in India. The company will now be able to use the DP World Trade Finance platform to lend with confidence and help companies access the capital they need to trade efficiently.

Sinan Ozcan, Senior Executive Officer of DP World Financial Services, outlined the importance of Trade Finance in DP World’s efforts to enable world trade: “DP World’s extensive outreach to businesses across the globe, visibility on trade data and control over cargo help financiers connect with businesses, identify risks, build confidence and provide credit, while businesses gain access to affordable and innovative financing options to grow their business.

“So far, we’ve onboarded 20 financial institutions onto the platform, covering 80 countries total, and the registration process for new clients is less than five minutes. By enabling more business through finance, we can support growth and generate greater value for all of our partners and customers.”

Ravi Valecha, CEO of India Factoring and Finance Solutions Pvt. Ltd, said: “As a leader in worldwide smart end-to-end supply chain logistics, DP World handles over 10% of global container traffic and has terminals in countries across the world. Being part of trade finance is a natural extension for them and India Factoring and Finance Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is glad to be associated to be part of their cross border trade finance solutions – a natural extension as a leader in India’s cross border factoring space.”

Many SMEs have their finance applications rejected every year when they are unable to provide the credit history along with additional trade data that financiers routinely require for credit approvals. These are businesses who buy, sell, import and export goods around the world, meaning a vast amount of trade is being lost. Fundamentally, the level of access to trade finance is critical not only to the survival and growth of exporters, importers and logistics companies, but to the growth of economies as a whole.

Felixstowe deploys first autonomous trucks

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe is believed to be the first port in Europe to introduce autonomous terminal tractor units (ATs) into mixed traffic container terminal operations. The first two battery-powered units to enter service at the UK’s largest container port have been supplied by manufacturer Westwell.

Commenting on the new equipment, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Felixstowe, said: “These new autonomous trucks represent a significant technological step forward for the Port of Felixstowe. The tools underpinning port operations have evolved continuously and we already have a range of very advanced systems and equipment in place but this is the first time we will have wholly driverless vehicles.

“Safety is our No.1 priority. This applies equally to technological developments and especially when introducing new equipment into live terminal operations. The ATs have a range of built-in safety features which will allow them to navigate effectively and safely within our container terminals.”

Felixstowe has long record of innovation

The autonomous trucks use a digital map which is loaded to a fleet management system that controls the navigation around the port. The AT then combines that map with its on-board GPS navigation to track its real-time position.

Project Director, and Hutchison Ports UK Chief Information Officer, Karen Poulter explained: “The Port of Felixstowe has a long record of innovation and we are very excited by this latest development at the port. The ATs use LiDAR – a light sensing technology that creates a 3D map of an AT’s surroundings using a laser and receiver, which, when combined with its on-board 360° cameras, provide real-time, all-round ‘vision’.  This enables it to ‘see’ everything instantaneously in its vicinity to allow safe and accurate navigation.

“With the support of Extreme Precise Position (EPP) system, it can achieve positioning accuracy of 2cm and a steering angle accuracy of 0.5°.”

The ATs have been through a thorough commissioning and testing programme. They are to be used initially to transport containers between the port’s Trinity and North Rail terminals.

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