NORTH AMERICA PORTS | FEATURE
Kilometres away from the heart of the port, remote operators can control a variety of heavy port equipment at multiple locations from a single point. This has numerous advantages, such as increased efficiency in terminal operations, reduced commute times for staff, better predictability of personnel availability and increased attractiveness of the workplace. The introduction of this technology goes hand-in-hand with a change in the profile of the future port workforce and the skills that will be needed in ports. So, why have North American container ports not pushed forward and employed the new technology? Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrique says it is a “very complicated question.” The Canadian scholar and professor in the Global Studies and Geography Department at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, is also a transportation expert and co-author of ‘Port Economics, Management and Policy’, with marine transportation experts Prof. Theo Notteboom, the University of Ghent and the University of Antwerp and Prof. Athanasios Pallis, from the University of Athens. Dr. Rodrigue says for North American ports the automation question is “a very complicated one because automation obviously is a conversion of several issues.” “What we have noticed is that in other
parts of the world where there is a new terminal or a new expansion taking place, automation presents a good opportunity to take place at the same time as the renovation or expansion, while in North America the only new terminal we have seen recently is the one in Virginia, which is automated,” he explains. Joe Harris, VP, communications and
spokesman for the Port of Virginia, adds: “We have been successfully operating a semi-automated rail-mounted gantry crane operation at Virginia International Gateway (VIG) and Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) for some time now. We are also running a semi-automated CRMG (Cantilever Rail-Mounted Gantry Crane) operation at the VIG rail yard and are getting ready to break ground to create a semi-automated CRMG operation at NIT.” Harris said going forward, Virginia
will: “continue to leverage technology to our advantage where appropriate. The result is a modern, efficient operation. This efficiency is to the advantage of the customer, ocean carrier and cargo owner.”
P A Konecranes Cantilever Rail-Mounted Gantry Crane at the VIG rail yard.
Dockside Lift & Move Supplement | March 2022 | 15
R Shanghai Yangshan deepwater port
Following Prof. Rodrigue’s comment on adding automation when building a new terminal or expanding an older one, there are two ports in Canada that are taking advantage of this situation. The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has been planning the addition of the Contrecoeur Terminal, where some degree of automation is anticipated. “The Contrecoeur Terminal will be managed by a private partner using a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) approach. The procurement process is currently taking place and will be completed by mid-2023. The operating parameters will, therefore, be determined by the private partner. This being said, the Contrecoeur project aims to install a modern and innovative infrastructure,” said Renee Larouche, director, comms, MPA. At the Port of Vancouver, automation appears to be in the future of the proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project, which is undergoing an environmental assessment process and requires federal approval and other permits before construction can begin, says Efrosini Drimoussis, director, RBT2 infrastructure procurement for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
“We assume the Roberts Bank Terminal
2 Project will be partially automated, similar to other newer terminals around the world. However, the final configuration of the terminal, including the level of automation, will be largely up to the new terminal operator,” Drimoussis says. He adds the port authority: “anticipates that the terminal operator procurement will begin after the start of the landmass construction (mid-2020s).” The anticipated levels of automation
for the various terminal components at Roberts Bank include; ship-to-shore cranes operated manually and possibly remotely, automated stacking cranes, and manual and remote operated Intermodal yard (Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes). The terminal operator will have the flexibility to develop a terminal layout and operating concept that may have a greater or lesser degree of automation than what is currently assumed. Also on Canada’s West Coast, some form
of automation may be in line for Global Container Terminal’ s (GCT) Deltaport Expansion Berth 4 project. The project is undergoing a comprehensive, multi- year regulatory environmental impact assessment process.
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