DP World has completed assembling of a ‘Proof of Concept’ test section of the world’s first container High Bay Store System (HBS) at Jebel Ali Port in the UAE, reports Seatrade Maritime News.
The automated handling system
Dubbed ‘BoxBay’, the automated handling system stacks containers up to 11 stories high in a fixed rack framework.
This has been developed as a joint venture by DP World and SMS engineering group of Germany.
Test section trial operations
Trial operations on the test section, which contains 792 container slots, are due to start at Jebel Ali before September.
Installation of the test section was completed with the assembling of an automated truck handling crane.
Container movement
It is planned that containers will also move in and out of BoxBay on underground conveyor belts before being lifted to their slot in the rack by stacker cranes.
Terminal under construction
A complete HBS yard that will be able to handle more than three million containers a year is planned for Jebel Ali Terminal 4, and is currently under construction.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group chairman and ceo of DP World, on completion of the test section said, “This is a major milestone delivered in our exploration of new and innovative technologies that add value for our operations and customers.”
The key aspects
He added that the key aspects of the port and terminal business are :
- speed,
- efficiency and
- digital fitness being.
With these, “we intend to deliver ‘life inventory’ to our importers and we are confident BoxBay will play a significant role revolutionising container storage in the years ahead.”
CO2-neutral operation
Mathias Dobner, chairman and ceo of BoxBay, added that the electrified system’s CO2-neutral operation powered by roof-mounted solar panels was “trend-settingˮ and also would allow more capacity to be managed “faster on the same footprint.”
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Source: Seatrade Maritime News
