From automated terminal systems to high-productivity yard equipment to such revolutionary concepts as magnetic levitation of containers, seaports of the Western Hemisphere are turning to 21st century technology to innovatively maximize efficiencies.
Not unlike other successful enterprises, ports are deriving multiple benefits from deployment of technology, as they are able to move more cargo and cruise passengers in an increasingly cost-effective, secure and environmentally sound manner.
Indeed, saving money, bolstering security and being eco-friendly are particularly timely gains achieved by ports through application of technology, transcending the acronyms by which the innovations typically are identified.
With the ongoing shift toward greater automation of operations, the benefits attained by ports through technology are anticipated to surge as terminals take full advantage of the productivity potential of their acreages and investments.
'Do more with less'
Technology is integral to the efforts of ports to make the most of finite resources, according to Jim Kruse, director of the Center for Ports & Waterways of the Texas Transportation Institute, part of the Texas A&M University System. Since its establishment in 1995, the Houston-based center has been conducting applied research to advance knowledge nationwide in the area of water transportation.
"Ports are faced with several constraints that seem to demand a technologically innovative response," said Mr. Kruse, who sits on AAPA's Harbors, Navigation and Environment and Maritime Economic Development committees. "In the past, ports were able to simply expand their footprint in response to increased transportation activity. Very few ports enjoy that luxury today. Cities and residences have grown around these port complexes.
"More must be done within the existing footprint," he continued. "Furthermore, environmental constraints demand the implementation of new technology. Ports -- and their stakeholders -- must address the issues of air quality across a broad region, potential invasive species transport, noise pollution and a host of other environment-related issues.
"In practical terms, this means ports must seriously examine technologies that will move cargo between the dock and distribution centers more effectively and cleanly," Mr. Kruse said. "The effects of large pulses of cargo brought in by larger and larger ships are simply not being accepted by local communities anymore. More efficient engines -- or engines using new sources of fuel -- must be employed in cargo-handling activities. Ballast water treatment technologies must be developed that are practical and affordable. Land-use planning and its effect on transportation must be done with more care and precision than in the past.
"The bottom line is: With the ever-increasing constraints on freight transportation growth comes the challenge of developing new technologies and methods that will do more with less," Kruse concluded.
Demand for solutions grows
David Quinn, director of seaports vertical marketplaces at Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola Inc., said he is seeing increased demand for solutions that involve mobile, wireless and radio-frequency identification, or RFID, technologies.
"At a very macro level, seaports are vital in the ongoing movement of goods in the supply chain," said Mr. Quinn, who is working with dozens of seaports throughout the world to provide technology solutions that enhance operations, security and maintainability.
"As with manufacturing shop floor automation, bottlenecks and constraints in the process create risk and reduced yields that are unacceptable," he said. "Ports must continuously optimize their 'materials in motion' capabilities as they move ships, product, materials, trucks and trains in an efficient and nondamaging fashion. Efficient movements are critical to seaports, shippers and freight forwarders that need to be paid and receivers who are looking to assemble or sell the products that are being moved as they all work to be evermore competitive in a no-holds-barred global logistics environment."
At the core of operations technologies are connectivity, communications and automation, Mr. Quinn said.
The most effective systems today, according to Mr. Quinn, are well beyond paper-based, having evolved to what he termed an "all-property, services-oriented network" that operates very much like a standard electrical, water or sewage utility. In the traditional datacenter are the systems and specialized applications that can be tuned to operate well together.
"Out in the yard and throughout the connected property is where the true magic has to happen," he said. "That's where the indoor/outdoor network becomes services-oriented and provides connectivity for a whole host of enabling technologies."
Simulations play role
Study of world-leading case studies often is joined by computerized simulation modeling in determining what infrastructure elements may be best applied at any given terminal to combine to deliver optimum performance of the facility as a whole, according to Vijay Agrawal, senior port analyst and planner in the Oakland, Calif., office of the global technical and management support firm of AECOM Transportation.
"The power of simulation is that it can model random simultaneous events," Mr. Agrawal said. "In a terminal, speed is money. The shipping terminal is wanting to turn around the cargo as fast as possible. When the ship is at rest, they're not making money.
"With increasing automation, simulation -- a 25-year-old concept -- has evolved into emulation, and use of it is only going to grow as the terminals become more automated," he continued. "Now, you can hook up simulation to a terminal operating system and, within the TOS, you can define various scenarios and do simulation of activities without having to actually do it in real life."
For example, emulation was employed in the design of the handling system, layout and other features of APM Terminals North America's vanguard automated container terminal that opened in late 2007 in Portsmouth, Va.
"Simulation models have been developed over more than 20 years of research and interaction with a worldwide client base in order to analyze existing operations and plan for future port channel and berth configuration, container stack layout in the yard, gate size and orientation, intermodal yard layout and rail operations," Mr. Agrawal said. "The models are widely used to analyze impact of alternative equipment type -- for example, RMGs [rail-mounted gantries] vs. top picks or straddle carriers -- and footprints on the terminal productivity."
Labor, technology mesh
Brian E. Clark, director of the Mobile Container Terminal LLC, pointed to the importance of labor and technology working together to maximize operational efficiencies. The $300 million Mobile terminal, at the Alabama State Port Authority's Choctaw Point site, saw the opening of its first phase in October 2008, as a joint venture between APM Terminals North America and Terminal Link, a CMA CGM subsidiary.
"At MCT, the involvement of our labor force in the deployment of the appropriate levels of technology has been critical to its successful implementation," Mr. Clark said. "As a result of the technology deployed, all cargo moving through the facility is planned and updated in real-time. This level of accuracy results in productive vessel and yard operations.
"Certain work processes in terminal operations lend themselves to the use of technology and automation," he continued. "The shipping industry is competitive, and every business has to find ways to improve customer service. Technology is one option. We have found that by combining technology with our skilled labor force, we are able to move containers with greater levels of accuracy, efficiency and safety."
Mr. Clark noted that MCT employs several different levels of technology within the gate and yard operations. Using optical character recognition cameras and license plate reader cameras inbound and outbound as well as proximity identification card readers in the lanes allows for a streamlined automated gate process. Together with mobile data terminals in all container-handling equipment interfacing with terminal operating software, over-theroad drivers are serviced at the terminal safely and efficiently with minimal turn times.
"This reduced turn time also bodes well for the environment, as cutting down on idle time lessens emissions and reduces impact on air quality," he said.
'Green' gains realized
Perhaps not surprisingly in an era of increasing environmental awareness and responsibility, the latest in technological advances often deliver "green" gains in addition to operational efficiencies.
The Southern California megaports of Los Angeles and Long Beach frequently are cited for their leadership in such efforts, including through the Technology Advancement Program launched as part of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, jointly adopted by the two ports in late 2006.
Ships at berth now can operate on shoreside power -- a technology known as "cold-ironing," alternate marine power or simply AMP -- rather than burning polluting fuels in port. Similarly, container cranes, trucks, various yard equipment and port cars can operate using alternative power sources, such as electricity, liquefied natural gas, hydraulics and/or the sun. Today's cranes not only can move cargo faster and more proficiently, they can also do so with far less impact upon the environment.
This summer, the Port of Long Beach issued a request for concepts and solutions outlining goals and requirements of a project to use a zero-emission container mover system, or ZECMS, to shuttle containers between docks and a nearby intermodal container transfer facility. Technologies that may be considered include electric guideways, zero-emission trucks, electrified rail and a congestion-free, seemingly futuristic method known as magnetic levitation, or maglev for short.
Automation offers benefits
Technology and innovation are crucial elements for seaports to increase productivity and enhance efficiency of operations.
Harvey Bauer, marketing manager for Tideworks Technology Inc., a Seattle-based provider of terminal management and planning software, pointed out the benefits offered by automation, commenting, "In any sector, the automation of manual processes typically leads to higher productivity and improved accuracy, thereby boosting efficiency and lowering operating costs."
In the seaport sector, this translates to increased throughput capacity through the efficient utilization of equipment and human resources, he said. Leveraging the right type of technology may also assist terminal operators in heightening their quality of service by providing customers with relevant information in a timely -- and often automated -- fashion. This in turn furnishes the terminal operator a competitive advantage, enabling it to garner additional business.
"The key for the operator lies in the implementation of the right type and amount of technology to provide a solution that fits the operator's objectives, both operational and financial," Mr. Bauer said. "No two terminals are identical, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. For example, what makes financial and operational sense for one terminal may not provide the desired productivity increase or return on investment for another terminal, depending on the volume of cargo, the operating environment or a multitude of other factors.
"Furthermore, it is imperative that operators find solutions that can seamlessly integrate with existing technology systems and enable them to leverage investments already made," added Mr. Bauer, who said his firm has been concentrating of late on expansion of the functionality of its core container terminal management systems, enhancements to its offering for intermodal operations and continued upgrades to its breakbulk and multipurpose terminal solutions.
Market still in infancy
As much has innovation have been deployed by ports, its implementation will continue to escalate as new technologies evolve, according to Robert Owens, San Pedro, Calif.-based vice president of business process reengineering for terminal operator Ports America.
"The technology as a whole for marine terminal applications is still somewhat immature and in the development stage," Mr. Owens said. "There is still a learning curve for everybody." As the North American market evolves from manual and semiautomated modes to full automation, it will be necessary to invest in upgrading terminal infrastructure to accommodate automatic stacking cranes and other leading-edge equipment technology, he said.
"Now, we have an opportunity to change the paradigm to use technology to get a greater throughput per acre as volumes return," he said. "I think technology will be a key driver in that equation."
One way in which Mr. Owens sees technology being better leveraged is through integration of applications, designed as appropriate for the specific end user. For example, if RFID tags are used at a port to identify "clean" trucks that pass muster related to low emissions, then it may well be beneficial for those same tags to be used in conjunction with RFID readers placed throughout the facility to track truck movements.
Another key factor in the marine terminal environment is system stability, or uptime, according to Mr. Owens, who said, "The hardware and software need to be 'bulletproof,' to be flexible, secure and hardened for the environment."
Durability imperative
Heavy-duty capabilities of technology are of critical importance to Patrick Potts, manager of transportation marketing at DRS Technologies, one of a number of firms that specialize in rugged mobile computers, also known as RMCs.
"In the ports industry, any interruption in the flow of freight is a major problem that can spread quickly from one facility across an entire system," he said. "That's why ports, as well as rail yards and intermodal terminals, rely on computerized systems to identify, track and organize freight.
"As powerful computing and communications technology is packaged in smaller, lighter and more durable form factors, rugged mobile computers are the industry's preferred technology," Mr. Potts added, citing use of such units at entry gates, aboard rolling equipment and in freestanding kiosks, and adding that workers in demanding environments need rugged mobile computers that guard against water and dust, operate in high and low temperatures, and protect against shock and vibration.
"While initially developed as a method to replace paper forms, the value of portable tablets has been greatly extended by advances in wireless functions for real-time data acquisition and processing," Mr. Potts said.
In fact, it is no single innovation but rather the proper combination of pioneering technologies, as appropriate for each particular port, that will provide the impetus for the seaport industry realizing its full potential for decades to come.
