APM Terminals Aarhus has commenced the construction of phase 1 of its automated gate complex. This US$3 million investment will further improve terminal efficiency using advanced technologies, the company said in its release.
Once completed the complex will offer two lanes in, two lanes out, a bi-directional lane for OOG and Mover traffic, and a parking area inside the OUT-lanes.
The gate complex will be relocated to a new area along with a new marshal area planned by the Port of Aarhus to avoid trucks queueing on the main road. The Marshall area will include three self-service kiosks.
A new Pre-OUT-gate area will be able to accommodate up to 19 trucks up to 16.5m as well as 125m long, extra-wide (5.5m) parking for extra-long vehicles, OOG and Movers, divided over two stretches. Space for a third gate lane in each direction has been reserved for future expansion.
Completion of phase 1 is planned for the third quarter of 2020, at which point gate checks will still be carried out by gate personnel. Following the launch of phase 1, automation of the gates, including Optical Camera Recognition (OCR), license plate recognition cameras and CCTV cameras for exception handling by gate clerks, will be tested by both engineers and test truck drivers.
The terminal also has plans to implement a digital Truck Appointment System. This will provide truck drivers with a guaranteed time slot and improve efficiency.
All systems will be linked to the terminals new N4 Terminal Operating System (TOS). The automated Gate Operating System is scheduled to be operational by the end of next year.
During construction, traffic to and from the terminal will have limited impact. A temporary pedestrian route has been established between the marshal area and the helpdesk.