Automated container handling is a recognised megatrend in the container handling industry. It started back in the early 1990s, when the ECT Delta Terminal, Rott erdam, began to use unmanned rail mounted gantry cranes in their container yard, with considerable success. The industry noti ced, and investment in new automated terminals grew. Automated container handling technology developed quickly, concentrati ng on the cranes handling the intermediate storage of containers in the yard.
The industry noticed, and investment in new automated terminals grew. Automated container handling technology developed quickly, concentrating on the cranes handling the intermediate storage of containers in the yard. The automated rail-mounted gantry (ARMG) crane was popular from the beginning for greenfi eld terminals where it was advantageous to build container blocks perpendicular to the quay, with exchange areas at the block ends. This is often called an ‘end-loading’ operation…
