WATCH: Remotely Operated Crane Ops at Maasvlakte II

Check out this video of remote controlled crane and cargo operations at the new APM Terminals Maasvlakte II terminal at the Port of Rotterdam.

Maasvlakte II is setting new standards with the world’s first remotely operated ship-to-shore cranes. The facility features eight cab-less STS cranes that unload containers from vessels and places them directly onto automated, battery-powered Lift Automatic Guided Vehicles (Lift AGVs), which can move up to two containers at a time from the quay to the container yard using an onboard navigation system.

Once the Lift AGV arrives at its programmed destination, it places the containers into a series of storage racks and an Automated Rail-Mounted Gantry crane (ARMG) then moves the container from the rack to its next designated location; be it a rail terminal, a waiting truck or another area of the storage yard.

What’s more is that the entire Maasvlakte II facility uses all-electric equipment and is powered by renewable energy, making it free of all CO2, NOx and particulate emissions.

In October, the facility set a record for the port of Rotterdam when the operations team handled just under 1,000 containers during the 15 hour port call of the Triple-E containership Madison Maersk, which departed with 17,152 TEU including ten high above deck.

Follow Mike Schuler on Twitter

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up