MAERSK port operator APM Terminals (APMT) and its Angolan joint venture Sogester (Sociedade Gestora de Terminais) have implemented the Solvo.TOS multipurpose and container terminal automation system at its Luanda terminal, reports the UK's Container Management.
Sogester runs a container terminal in the Port of Luanda, two more dry terminals 35 kilometres away, and one marine terminal in the Port of Namibe where containers and general cargo are handled.
At first, each terminal had documentation management systems and old operating systems which did not fulfill all the company's needs, and the technical support of a manufacturer located in a different time zone did not respond properly to the client.
Additionally, the terminal did not implement automatic cargo control and the automatic cargo management was not realised at the terminal.
'We began to expand, and thus a need for a unified infrastructure has appeared. We studied the TOS market and settled on the Solvo.TOS,' said Sogester CEO Frans Jol.
At the facility in Namibe, which handles 35,000 TEU annually, the main cargo is granite blocks brought by rail from the Lubango region. However, during stuffing, containers can be damaged by the weight of the granite.
The Solvo.TOS version 7.1 system has taken control of all cargo management at the terminal, which now features a vessel planner module and a railway module to automate cargo handling operations, said the Container Management report.
It also covers shunting operations, loading and unloading of containers, inspections and repairs of containers, managing rules and strategies for container placement, empty container depot management and container selection for loading.
Solvo's system was installed at the Namibe terminal in early 2021 as part of a pilot project, uniting all software products previously installed on the terminal, as well as working equipment and additional financial system IFS-10.
Currently, the software developer's team is working on the automation of the terminal in Luanda, which deploys three Liebherr mobile harbour cranes.
The TOS will integrate with the RTE monitoring system, which allows the operator to remotely monitor and control reefer assets, optimising the safety and efficiency of reefer operation.
Said Mr Jol: 'The previous system did not provide monitoring of refrigerated trucks, general cargo and other important directions. We now expect the Solvo.TOS system to fulfil these tasks.'
It is planned that the system will integrate all the Sogester terminals into a single infrastructure, with a complete billing module to automate services, settlements and reconciliations. This will include remote access to the system for terminal clients.
'We expect these innovations to make our terminals even more efficient when dealing with high cargo traffic,' Mr Jol said.
SeaNews Turkey
Sogester runs a container terminal in the Port of Luanda, two more dry terminals 35 kilometres away, and one marine terminal in the Port of Namibe where containers and general cargo are handled.
At first, each terminal had documentation management systems and old operating systems which did not fulfill all the company's needs, and the technical support of a manufacturer located in a different time zone did not respond properly to the client.
Additionally, the terminal did not implement automatic cargo control and the automatic cargo management was not realised at the terminal.
'We began to expand, and thus a need for a unified infrastructure has appeared. We studied the TOS market and settled on the Solvo.TOS,' said Sogester CEO Frans Jol.
At the facility in Namibe, which handles 35,000 TEU annually, the main cargo is granite blocks brought by rail from the Lubango region. However, during stuffing, containers can be damaged by the weight of the granite.
The Solvo.TOS version 7.1 system has taken control of all cargo management at the terminal, which now features a vessel planner module and a railway module to automate cargo handling operations, said the Container Management report.
It also covers shunting operations, loading and unloading of containers, inspections and repairs of containers, managing rules and strategies for container placement, empty container depot management and container selection for loading.
Solvo's system was installed at the Namibe terminal in early 2021 as part of a pilot project, uniting all software products previously installed on the terminal, as well as working equipment and additional financial system IFS-10.
Currently, the software developer's team is working on the automation of the terminal in Luanda, which deploys three Liebherr mobile harbour cranes.
The TOS will integrate with the RTE monitoring system, which allows the operator to remotely monitor and control reefer assets, optimising the safety and efficiency of reefer operation.
Said Mr Jol: 'The previous system did not provide monitoring of refrigerated trucks, general cargo and other important directions. We now expect the Solvo.TOS system to fulfil these tasks.'
It is planned that the system will integrate all the Sogester terminals into a single infrastructure, with a complete billing module to automate services, settlements and reconciliations. This will include remote access to the system for terminal clients.
'We expect these innovations to make our terminals even more efficient when dealing with high cargo traffic,' Mr Jol said.
SeaNews Turkey