Dutch king officially opens fully-automated APM Terminals at Maasvlakte II, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
The Netherlands’ Monarch King Willem-Alexander officially opened the new APM Terminals Maasvlakte II Rotterdam on 27 April, by informing a remote crane operator to launch the multi-coloured ballet of containers.
The APM Terminals Maasvlakte II Rotterdam facility ushers in a new era in port innovation. The facility launches the world’s first container terminal to utilize remotely-controlled STS gantry cranes.
Maasvlakte II is the latest extension of the port of Rotterdam with a new 700 ha deep-sea port created in the North Sea at -17 m depth.
Game-changer port
APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer said: "We are honored to officially dedicate our new terminal with you today. APM Terminals Maasvlakte II is clearly a game-changer port in the shipping industry designed to exceed our customers’ expectations. It is significantly safer for our people and all users of the port. It runs on a zero emissions, sustainable business model using renewable energy, benefitting the people of Rotterdam and Europe. And, equally important, our shipping line customers will experience 40 percent higher productivity – thanks to automation."
Fully automated handling of containers
The APM terminal utilizes remotely-controlled STS gantry cranes to move containers between vessels and the landside fleet of 62 battery-powered Lift-Automated Guided Vehicles (Lift-AGVs) which transport containers between the quay and the container yard, including barge and on-dock rail facilities.
The Lift-AGV’s also represent the world’s first series of AGV’s that can actually lift and stack a container. A fleet of 54 Automated Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes (ARMGs) then positions containers in the yard in a high-density stacking system.
The terminal’s power requirements are provided by wind-generated electricity, enabling terminal operations, which produce no CO2, emissions or pollutants, and which are also considerably quieter than conventional diesel-powered facilities.
The facility, constructed on land entirely reclaimed from the North Sea, has been designed as a multi-modal hub to reduce truck traffic in favor of barge and rail connections to inland locations.
First phase operational
Construction began in May 2012, with the first commercial vessel call in December 2014.
Successful systems testing and ramp-up have been completed to bring the first phase of APM Terminals Maasvlakte II into full operational status.
The 86 hectare deep-water terminal features 1,000 meters of quay, on-dock rail, and eight fully-automated electric-powered Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, with an annual throughput capacity of 2.7 million TEUs, representing an APM Terminals investment of 500 million euro.
At planned full build-out, the terminal will cover 180 hectares and offer 2,800 meters of deep-sea quay, with an annual throughput capacity of 4.5 million TEUs.
This news item was originally published on the website of APM Terminals.
Read also on this website
● First container vessel calls at new Maasvlakte 2, Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 30 December 2014
● Port of Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2 extension officially opened for shipping, 23 May 2013
● Contractor PUMA completes first part of Maasvlakte 2 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 18 April 2013
● Seawall around Rotterdam's Maasvlakte closed, 13 July 2012
● APM Terminals selects Dutch consortium for construction of Maasvlakte II terminal, 21 April 2012
More information
APM Terminals
The Hague, the Netherlands
+31 70 304 3100
www.apmterminals.com
Summary video of the opening celebrations of APM Terminals Maasvlakte II on 24 April 2015 in presence of the Dutch King Willem-Alexander.