Belfast Harbour has led a consortium to secure funding for a feasibility study on adopting autonomous technology.
Funding of almost £400,000 ($501,000) has been secured from the UK Department for Transport’s Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund to carry out the study at Belfast Harbour’s Victoria Terminal 3 container terminal over a five-month period starting in November.
The initiative will see Belfast Harbour partner with digital solutions provider Aidrivers Ltd and container port operator BCT Ltd to trial the use of new autonomous technology for Terminal Tractors (TT), which ports use for transporting containers between quay cranes and storage areas.
Traditional TT operations contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and the study will test whether autonomous operation reduces environmental impacts, increases safety and enhances operational efficiency.
The primary objective of the project is to fit existing TTs with autonomous software and hardware, optimising fleet operations to achieve up to 30 per cent fuel efficiency gains.
It also aims to show the scalability and affordability of autonomous solutions particularly tailored for smaller ports and set a precedent for global adoption.
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Laura O’Neill, Digital Transformation Manager at Belfast Harbour said: “We are excited to launch this initiative, which seeks to address a critical gap in the shipping supply chain, where traditional TT operations have been a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and operational inefficiencies.
“The project is part of Belfast Harbour’s commitment to building a sustainable future and further enhances our ESG credentials by partnering with key tenants to help them address Scope 3 emissions.
“The study aims to reduce the amount of time TTs are idle, increase throughput of containers and investigate the potential for higher skilled jobs.”
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Alec Colvin, spokesperson from Belfast Container Terminal Ltd, said: “This feasibility study marks a critical step in implementing autonomous TT solutions in UK regional ports, leveraging local expertise and technology to deliver environmental benefits, cost savings, operational efficiencies, and support for resilient supply chains essential for national and global trade.
“The project not only supports the UK’s clean energy transition goals but also enhances port competitiveness, resilience against labour shortages and economic viability for manufacturers.”
Earlier this summer, Porto Itapoá acquired a fleet of 20 new electric trucks for its internal operations.
