Container terminal of the future

APM Terminals is responsible for loading and unloading large container ships in many ports around the world. The company, part of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, is constantly seeking innovative technologies to apply in practice. In conjunction with APM Terminals, TPM's Systems Engineering section is developing the container terminal of the future. The Virtual Terminal prototype is expected to be operational before the summer.

Corné Versteegt, project manager for innovation at APM Terminals, was the one who contacted the TPM faculty. He studied SEPAM at TU Delft and received his PhD on automated logistics systems in 2004. When it comes to new technologies, TU Delft is the obvious choice in view of his background. "You know the people and their modus operandi," Versteegt admits. "However, our choice was mainly based on the fact that we are eagerly awaiting the work that is being done here. They are delivering technologies which we will need in two or three years' time. TU Delft should be proud of that!" Versteegt talks of TU Delft as the preferred supplier in this field.

According to Versteegt, the complexity of container terminals will only increase in future. There are several reasons for this growing complexity. One is technology. "Technology focuses increasingly on automating processes. Take a look at today's container terminals in Rotterdam, where there is currently only one automated terminal. They have a large workforce. That makes it expensive, because labour costs in Western Europe are high. Yet it is also a hazardous environment to work in. That aspect requires greater attention."

Actors
Another factor is the growing number of actors involved in the construction of container terminals. In the past, it was purely a matter between the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the container terminal operator. "Things have changed completely," Versteegt notes, referring to the development of the Tweede Maasvlakte. National government plays a role due to financing. The Port of Rotterdam Authority runs the project, APM Terminals the terminal. "Yet you also have to deal with environmental groups which monitor everything closely. And you have to arrange permits at local government level."

One of the difficulties which Versteegt encounters is that many people cannot imagine what a container terminal will look like. "It is tricky to talk about complex, large-scale designs, which take several years to be implemented and which most people have difficulty envisaging. That is why we set to work on the virtual terminal. The aim is to construct a container terminal in as realistic as possible a virtual environment; an environment through which you can move freely. By doing so, we can share the virtual environment with all the actors. Clients, locals and authorities can all view the terminal design virtually. Each from their own background and viewpoint. A client, for instance, can see that there is too little space for its containers. It can then indicate that more storage areas are required. We can quickly alter that in this type of virtual environment. This makes the future situation transparent for everyone. The process is therefore much more efficient."

Michele Fumarola, PhD candidate at TPM faculty's Systems Engineering section, has spent the past year working closely with Versteegt. "I graduated from Hasselt in computer studies specialising in multimedia and 3D applications. For the APM Terminals project, I worked on visualising terminals and centring information for terminals which do not yet exist. Corné supplies the information, I implement it in the Virtual Terminal program. I think that I have done about eighty to ninety percent of the programming myself."

Manual work
One major role in the realisation of Virtual Terminal was played by what is known as TPM's Gaming Street. Here, a team of programmers and modellers provides support in developing this virtual environment. "Inputting a container crane takes several days. It is manual work," Fumarola explains. "Once the crane has been added, you don't have to do anything else. You can use that crane for any virtual container terminal. If APM Terminals comes up with a new crane in future, we will input that too. It is also possible to link information to certain objects, such as Docs and Excel sheets. That is handy for everyone involved in the design of a terminal."

APM Terminals is fast becoming the largest container terminal operator in the world. Virtual Terminal is not just important for Rotterdam, but also for projects in America and Asia. "We can apply this anywhere in the world. First make everything in virtual form and then construct it for real. This is a new development in our sector." Versteegt wants to deploy Virtual Terminal as soon as it is operational. "We want to test how good the system is in a number of projects. We can then hear users' opinions and how we can improve it if necessary. They are the ones who ultimately have to use it."