SINGAPORE's Tuas mega port is well on its way to meeting its planners' expectations to be the world's biggest fully automated container terminal when its four-phase development is complete, reports Melbourne's New Atlas.
So far, the Tuas mega port has handled 10 million containers since it kicked off operations in September 2022, and is expected to increase that to 65 million a year in the 2040s completed.
A command centre near the port sees humans monitor and remotely operate vehicles and cranes from large screens displaying a digital twin of the facility.
That includes a fleet of fast-charging electric automated guided vehicles (AGV) moving through the terminal, autonomously transporting containers atop their flat chassis (each can carry up to two TEU or a single FEU) at speeds up to 15.5 mph (25 km/h).
Tuas port's fleet currently includes more than 200 AGVs, which use RFID to communicate with underground transponders and share their location in real-time for precise positioning and collision avoidance.
Nikkei Asia reported that on a recent tour of the mega port, one could hardly spot a human worker at the facility among the bunch of driverless yellow AGVs going about their business.
The AGVs operate via a central fleet management system, and can run for up to six hours on a 20-minute charge. These vehicles are said to feature an always-on communications design, which means even if some port networking systems fail, they'll still be available online to be controlled safely.
Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority will digitize Tuas port's operations further with a 'Next Generation Vessel Traffic Management System,' which will monitor terminal traffic in real-time using AI and satellites. PSA Singapore, which operates the port, plans to grow the AGV fleet by another 200-and-some vehicles as the facility nears completion.
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So far, the Tuas mega port has handled 10 million containers since it kicked off operations in September 2022, and is expected to increase that to 65 million a year in the 2040s completed.
A command centre near the port sees humans monitor and remotely operate vehicles and cranes from large screens displaying a digital twin of the facility.
That includes a fleet of fast-charging electric automated guided vehicles (AGV) moving through the terminal, autonomously transporting containers atop their flat chassis (each can carry up to two TEU or a single FEU) at speeds up to 15.5 mph (25 km/h).
Tuas port's fleet currently includes more than 200 AGVs, which use RFID to communicate with underground transponders and share their location in real-time for precise positioning and collision avoidance.
Nikkei Asia reported that on a recent tour of the mega port, one could hardly spot a human worker at the facility among the bunch of driverless yellow AGVs going about their business.
The AGVs operate via a central fleet management system, and can run for up to six hours on a 20-minute charge. These vehicles are said to feature an always-on communications design, which means even if some port networking systems fail, they'll still be available online to be controlled safely.
Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority will digitize Tuas port's operations further with a 'Next Generation Vessel Traffic Management System,' which will monitor terminal traffic in real-time using AI and satellites. PSA Singapore, which operates the port, plans to grow the AGV fleet by another 200-and-some vehicles as the facility nears completion.
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