What are the essential factors implicit in sound port operations?
Essential factors are cost-consciousness, productivity, efficiency, environmentalfriendliness and safety, to name but a few. With regard to decreasing costs and increasing productivity we have identified a trend to semi-automate or even automate equipment and entire processes. With regard to the environment, customers want to apply high-efficiency electric drive trains with the most advanced combustion engines – battery and hybrid drives on the one hand and smart grid technologies on the other – to significantly reduce exhaust emissions in order to become green terminals. Also, lightweight constructions are in demand. To make equipment safe the market requires automated processes and improved man/machine interfaces, as well as advanced driver assistance systems, too.
What do you think is the biggest single issue affecting ports and terminals today?
That’s quite difficult to answer in a few words only. Issues, if you like to call them issues, may influence each other. One of these issues, which affect especially today’s container terminals is congestion in sea and hinterland ports and terminals. An everincreasing amount of cargo needs to be firstly handled in sea ports, then it needs to be spread to modal split; inland waterways, road and rail traffic. This means that the amount of cargo to be handled in hinterland, canal and river terminals requires state-of-the-art solutions adapted from advanced seaport operations to keep pace.
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