PSA Singapore Terminals (PSA) is investing in Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) prototypes that will operate 24/7 without human drivers to transport containers between the quay and the container yard.
The global port operator said it has asked Singapore Technologies Kinetics and Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry to develop two AGV prototypes each that use energy-efficient hybrid technology.
Cargotec Corporation, meanwhile, is tasked to construct a common navigation system that will drive the vehicles at the port.
PSA said a series of pilot trials will be conducted over the next two years in Singapore.
The investment in automation technologies is designed to maintain the company’s status as the world’s largest transshipment hub, it added.
“Apart from automated container port systems, these innovations also encompass optimization techniques and green port technologies. They would enable PSA to enhance port productivity, as it prepares to increase capacity to handle more volumes in the near term, as well as in the longer run,” the company said in a recent statement.
PSA is collaborating with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in conducting research and tests on new technologies for future container terminals under the five-year Port Technology Research and Development Programme.
The MPA is contributing nearly US$8 million to the project, while PSA and its industry partners will match that amount over the same period.
Photo: Jonathan Choe
