White Paper: Maximizing Capacity - An Optimized Approach to AGV Operations

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are a proven automated transport system for container terminals.

Since their introduction in 1993 at ECT in the Port of Rotterdam, AGVs have been used at more than 10 sites across the world.

At this time, AGVs are there with the most successful automated transport system in container terminals. AGVs are reliable and can support high Quay Crane (QC) productivities. In addition, battery AGVs have been available since 2012, supporting zero-emission terminals.

Overall, AGVs are a solid and proven solution for terminal automation.

However, an AGV operation requires significant space on the apron, especially compared to existing terminals with manned vehicles. As terminals are often space constrained, any space that can be saved on the apron directly translates into additional yard capacity.

This article describes an alternative approach for the interchange between QC and AGV at a similar footprint as for terminals with manned vehicles.