by Jessica Sabbath

I got my first opportunity this morning to see the new APM Terminals Virginia facility. Wow.

The $450 million marine terminal has many impressive features. But it was automation of the gentry cranes (which remove containers from trucks and stacks them into rows) that really wowed me.

As trucks enter the terminal, they receive a ticket telling them which row to take their cargo. After trucks back into their prescribed spot, a gentry crane automatically moves over the container and begins to lower wires to grab it. Once it is almost aligned, a remote operator located in the terminal building takes over.

The operator uses cameras to hook onto the container and lift it off the truck. Then automation takes over again, lifting the container up and placing it in the correct stack.

Once a truck has backed into the spot, it takes about six minutes to lift the container off the truck.

Automation is the key in helping cargo move efficiently throughout the port. The terminal can currently move trucks in and out of the port in about 45 to 50 minutes. APM Terminals officials, however, expect to drop that average to 30 minutes. While the crane operation has proven efficient, the terminal still needs to implement all of its technologies as trucks enter the terminal’s gate.