EQUIPMENT CORNER Out of the box thinking on the box


Handling specialist Cargotec has had a stab at envisaging how the port of the future might look. Its ‘Port 2060’ project aims to spark discussion within the terminal operations sector and anticipate the challenges and solutions that will be relevant to containerisation as it approaches its centenary. Employees


were invited to


engage in some ‘totally out-of- the-box thinking’, which would be unveiled at the TOC Europe show in Antwerp.


By 2060, the company says,


mega ports will be located offshore on artificial islands where layouts can be optimised. These ports will be supported by floating feeder/ river terminals that can be moved around in line with changing demands.


The container itself will remain


in use, based on the same compact, standardised format. But different materials might be used and they could be foldable - and may have inbuilt intelligence to communicate destination, contents and journey details.


One of the most interesting ideas generated by the Port 2060 is the prospect of fully automatic lashing systems to form different container ‘packages’ with up to 64 containers in a single moveable unit. Container crane lift capacities could increase from around 40- 100 tonnes today to 1,000-2,000 tonnes.


Container storage could be in underground silos, as land will be at a premium. An automated tracking system will locate and


Safety should come as standard, say guidelines


Cargotec has envisaged the way the port of the future might look in 2060, around the centenary of containerisation, where mega ports


are artificial islands and


containers are organised in underground silos.


store containers and terminals will be powered by solar panels. While some current containership designs will still be in operation, most will be fully automated, or have only a very small crew, with numerous energy saving features including solar technology. They will also be designed so that a container block can be separated from the vessels if needed, allowing them to then pick up another cargo block and sail on.


One of the most startling concepts could be ‘flying spreaders’,


using nano-fibre


technology that by then will have replaced steel wiring. Feeder vessels will be loaded in part by these flying spreaders, allowing last minute loading changes. Port processes will be monitored


by Artificial Intelligence which will by then be an everyday technology. Cargo handling systems will use alternative energy sources or electric drives, and wheels will have been replaced by air cushion or magnetic levitation technologies. Handling equipment will have its own ‘consciousness’, allowing it to


Cleaner engines from Hyster The Hyster range of 25-32 tonne


heavy duty forklift trucks and


container handlers is now available with Tier 4i/Stage IIIB low emission engines, offering fuel savings of up to 15%.


Fifty years into the future, feeder vessels could be loaded partially with flying spreaders, and thus last minute loading changes can be made or late arrivals can be loaded on board the next leg of transportation.


New guidelines drawn up by equipment manufacturers and insurers have called for a fresh approach to crane procurement that recognises safety as an integral part of the decision.


Cargotec’s ‘Port 2060’ concept imagines automated lashing systems that can alone form ‘packages’ consisting of up to 64 containers. These container ‘blocks’ can be separated from ships and then picked up by vessels sailing onward.


monitor wear and tear, and will be able to order its own maintenance and repairs remotely. Landside handling equipment will be made up of universal modules that are fully interchangeable between different types of equipment, and will be tailored using special software solutions.


Matinlauri points out: “It might


seem that 2060 is a long way away, but many of those who will be celebrating the centenary of containerisation around 2060 are already alive today.”


www.cargotec.com/port2060


Recommended minimum safety specifications for quay container cranes were released at the TOC Europe conference in Antwerp on 9 June. Published jointly by property, equipment and liability insurance provider TT Club, the Port Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA) and ICHCA International, they are the result of an initiative on crane safety launched in late 2009 to establish a baseline standard of safety specifications. ICHCA International chairman John Strang noted at the outset of the project: “Inevitably, crane procurement


is price sensitive and requires significant budget. However, buyers will not always be familiar with the most effective safety technologies,” he said. “Furthermore,” continued Strang, “The process of specification is complex; any quote needs to be carefully assessed against the invitation to tender, and subsequent change requests can be costly. For all these reasons, there should


be a standard safe


baseline provided in every tender to ensure the industry has the safest cranes possible.” The group also drew up recommended minimum safety features based on accident and failure data from TT Club claims records. These include damage caused by high winds, in particular the ‘sail effect’ inherent in the Meccano-like structures. There are many


cases of cranes being blown along the rails, often colliding with neighbouring cranes, or being dislodged from the rails, generally leading to structural collapse.


Collisions are also surprisingly frequent, usually the boom of the crane hitting the ship’s superstructure. Snagged loads are another constant concern. Apart from the potential to damage the ship’s cell guides or other structures, the risk to the crane itself is obvious as it may try to lift the ship out of the water.


Detection and safety protection devices can prevent this and related to this is the emergence of load sensing technology that can accurately measure the actual weight and eccentricity of each container, as well as provide warning of snagged loads.


Strong demand for trailer loader


Loading systems specialist, Transdek says it is experiencing strong demand for its V2G (Vehicle-To-Ground) Loading System. Transdek is converting the top 100 stores for one of the UK’s largest supermarket retailers to accommodate


The engines use EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) engine technology, which means that no additional equipment, additives or maintenance regimes, unlike SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology. The exclusive UK dealer for Hyster materials


handling equipment,


The range of nine models includes four conventional forklift models with between 25,000kg and 32,000kg lifting capacity at 1,200mm load centre, three new ultra-compact models for operations where space is limited, with wheelbases of between 3.655m and 3.935m, and two container handlers which have a dedicated carriage for the container spreader.


Barloworld Handling is offering free advice to UK ports and terminals on the new Tier 4i/Stage IIIB emission regulations, which affect equipment such as reachstackers, empty container handlers and high capacity forklift trucks and which came into force from January 2011. They require diesel engines to reduce Particulate Matter (PM) exhaust emissions by 90% and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) exhaust emissions by 45% compared with the current Tier 3 and Stage IIIA emissions standards.


New chassis is up to the job Highland Galvanizers & Colour


Coaters has teamed up with transport designers and manufacturers Gray & Adams to pioneer a unique truck chassis design. Two of Gray & Adams’ top customers – Marks & Spencer and Tesco – were concerned about deterioration on delivery routes in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.


deliveries from double-deck trailers, and has confirmed orders from another two major supermarket groups.


Ordinary chassis are too complex to be easily galvanized, but the new specially designed 13.6m x 2.5m double-deck chassis invented by Gray & Adams and Highland comprises six separately galvanized sections, bolted together once coated. With stores as far afield as Orkney and Shetland, M&S and Tesco delivery trucks must withstand the maritime environment of Northern Scotland where sea salt and ferry journeys accelerate the corrosion of painted steel. The chassis previously used only lasted only around five years.


The company approached Highland to help them design a new chassis which would stay rust free but without costly and wasteful paint coating.


Steel corrosion is estimated to cost 4% of UK GNP every year and nearly half of all steel produced around the world every year is to replace corroded metal. In fact, around the world one tonne of steel turns to dust every 90 seconds.


The company is also in talks with architects from one of the major supermarkets regarding the V2G system’s ability to allow new stores to be built without vehicle ramps or raised docks, saving on construction costs and minimising unprofitable back-of-store space. The system can also be


retrofitted, allowing previously ‘dead space’ to be redeployed as retail space. Transdek UK’s operations director, Leon Butler, said: “Because of its versatility, it can service any mix of delivery vehicles: both the single deck trailers of today, and the growing double deck fleets of tomorrow.”


The V2G is capable of unloading a single deck artic in 45 minutes.


Truck loading simulator


The International Road Transport Union (IRU) Academy has launched a training programme with an interactive simulator for safe loading and cargo securing that fully complies with the new CEN standard that came into force on 31 May. The programme, which is available to road


transport professionals through IRU Academy’s Accredited Training Institutes, covers risks and responsibilities, technical standards, laws of physics, vehicle characteristics, categories of goods transported, loading best practices, securing material and securing techniques.


Singapore base for Cargotec


Cargotec is setting up a global competence centre for container terminal development in Singapore, serving the whole Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific region


is one of the company’s growth areas accounting for 40% of total sales in 2010 and there are production units in China, India, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.


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