APM Terminals Maasvlakte II takes first delivery of automated rail-mounted gantry cranes
The first two of a total of 26 automated rail-mounted gantry cranes (ARMGs) have been delivered to th e APM Terminals new Ma asvlakte II terminal site, said in the company's press release. The first part of civil construction has been completed paving the way for the installation of the ultra-modern, highly automated equipment.
“The engineering phase has been very interestin g, but this is where the hard work really begins” stated APM Terminals Maasvlakte II ARMG Project Manager, Richard de Braak. The ARMGs, along with two addi tional rail cranes, are being supplied by Austrian-based manufacturer Hans Kuenz GmbH. The 30-meter wide ARMGs will use a fully automated system to load and unload containers onto an d off of truck chassis and onto a fleet of 37 battery-powered Lift Automated Guided Vehicles (Lift AGVs) also on order with the first deliveries expected in June. The rail cranes will be used at the facility’s on-dock rail terminal.
“Thorough testing of automated equipment and IT is core to our plans to deliver the terminal of the future,” stated APM Termin als Maasvlakte II Mana ging Director Frank Tazelaar, adding “This on time delivery of the first ARMGs en ables us to st art testing as per plan”. The APM Terminals Maasvlakte II facility, sched uled to open in November 2014 with an initial annual throughput capacity of 2.7 mi llion TEUs, will be the most technologically advanced container terminal in the world, an d will be capable of handling the world’s largest containerships with 1000 meters of quay and a 20-meter depth. Supporting the existing APM Terminals Rotterdam terminal, on e of the largest in Europe, handling 2.49 million TEUs in 2012, the new terminal’s on-dock rail terminal will initially include four tracks, expanding to eight tracks at full buil d-out with a direct connection to the Betuwe rail line, a 160 km (100 mile) dedicated double track electric-powered freight line which links the Port of Rotterdam with the German border at Zevenaar-Emmerich.
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II term inal will also provide seamless access to the existing European river transportation network with 500 meters of dedicated barge quay. The reduction of road congestion and highway truc k traffic is part of APM Terminals’ global commitment to environmental sustainability, and meets the Port of Rotterdam’s local requirements to expand non-road in termodal container transportation. APM Terminals – providing the port and inland infrastructure to lift global trade APM Terminals’ Global Terminal Network of ports and inland services provide the infrastructure for the growth of internatio nal trade, 90% of which travels by sea. International commerce is an economic growth engine, crea ting jobs, lifting economies and improving people’s lives around the world. With world headquarters in The Hague, Nether lands, the company’s core expertise is the design, construction, management and operatio n of ports, terminals and inland services, operating a Global Terminal Network of 25,000 employees in 68 countries including interests in 70 port and terminal facilities and over 170 Inland Services operations.
APM Terminals was named both “Port Operator of the Year ” at the Lloyd’s List 2012 Global Awards and “International Terminal Operator of the Year” for 2012 by Containerisation International . www.apmterminals.com www.apmterminalsphotos.com (photos) www.apmtvideonews.com (multimedia) 2013 Port projects underway : Asia Qingdao, China Expansion of terminal Ningbo, China New terminal being built Africa Abidjan, Ivory Coast New terminal project Apapa, Nigeria Upgrade of terminal Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo New terminal being built Luanda, Angola Expansion of terminal Monrovia, Liberia Project nearing completion Europe Izmir, Turkey New terminal being built Rotterdam, Netherlands New terminal being built Vado, Italy New terminal being built Poti, Georgia Terminal upgrade ongoing Gothenburg, Sweden New terminal project Middle East Aqaba, Jordan Expansion of terminal Suez Canal Container Terminal, Egypt Expansion of terminal completed Latin America Santos, Brazil New terminal being built Moin, Costa Rica New terminal being built Callao, Peru New terminal project, upgrade and expansion Lazaro Cárdenas, Mexico New terminal project.