Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a manufacturer and carrier of port equipment, has provided APM Terminals with two extra automated straddle carriers as part of a first-of-its-kind trial project in a real terminal setting at the Aarhus yard in Denmark.
The additional carriers will join forces with the initial prototype, which was already introduced in the beginning of 2022.
“We are proud to be part of the development of these highly advanced GPS-operated automated straddle carriers. We have been testing the first straddle carrier in a small, enclosed area which has provided valuable learnings and insights for the development of the next models. With the new Blue Bots, we are now ready to expand our test area to 65,000 m² in order to further analyse and optimise the technology to fit our operation and enhance safety,” stated Mikael Gutman, Nordic managing director in APM Terminals.
The two high-performance automated straddle carriers, called Blue Bots, are part of ZPMC’s automated straddle carrier programme and were constructed exclusively for APM Terminals Aarhus based on specifications and learnings from the yard.
The first Blue-Bot has already been tested on new capabilities, such as navigation in the reefer sector and picking and placing containers to and from a test quay crane lane, completing more than 6,000 lifts and navigating 800 kilometres within the testing area, where the automated straddle carriers do not interfere with daily operations.
The new straddle carriers can function automatically at low temperatures, satisfying terminal automation requirements. In order to fulfill the demands, they have been further optimised and outfitted with hybrid diesel generators and lithium batteries.
