The Tenacity of Technology

World Port Development June 201542

c o n t a i n e r o p e r a t i n g s y s t e m

Tim Newbound takes a look at just some ofthe many market trends, advancementsand deals in the sphere of terminal operating systems…

iven the rate at which new achievements are reached in the world of information technology

and communications systems, it’s perhapsunsurprising that there’s always a vast surplusof information for World Port Development’sannual terminal operating system (TOS) survey.This year is no exception, with themany suppliers around the world eager toshare news and views - so much so, that justtouching upon selected case studies andopinions still means squeezing in super post-Panamax proportions of information.That’s not least because, as TOS developerssuch as South Korea’s CyberLogitec attest,the growing reliance on automation at thelargest terminals makes this an exciting timefor the market. Just like the multi-deviceinternet of things plays an intertwined role inour everyday lives,TOS solutions are increasingly required to integrate and complement a vast array of systems andtechnologies throughout a port.This symbioticrelationship of systems communicating witheach other is vital in evermore sophisticatedand large-scale automated terminal operations.

Data such as real-time location, job information of the yard equipment and keyperformance indexes must be transferredand updated on the TOS to have full controlover the terminal’s operation and achieveperformance enhancements.With this inmind, CyberLogitec has continued to developits OPUS TOS, which supports more than90% of container handling operations inSouth Korea, to guarantee high system reliability alongside scalability and offer thebest total cost of ownership based on individual customers’ needs.To offer flexibility,it states that OPUS is suited to, and can beoptimised for, conventional as well as automated terminal operations. In fact, PusanNewport Company Ltd is, according toCyberLogitec, the world’s first “mega-hybrid”terminal, operating a combination of conventional and automated operations via asingle OPUS TOS. One of the major benefitsthat CyberLogitec highlights in the developmentof TOS technology and its integration withother systems is the removal of human error,alongside reducing labour costs.And, whilethe subject of automation and reducing theneed for manual intervention (and ergo manhours) may not always be a comfortable oneto broach, the emphasis on such plus-points

within TOS development is notable throughoutthe industry. UK company InternationalTerminal Solutions Limited, for example, has abusiness that focuses on specific elements ofautomation, providing systems such as trackingand positioning.And in recent years, its Headof Business Development,Allan Jones, hasnoted a stronger trend than ever for tightintegration of these solutions with the TOS,thus minimising the human workload.Thismay include, for example, automaticallyrecording the grounding and lift locations forcontainers, enforcing TOS work orders sothat only valid moves can be performed, oreven managing the human interface so thatthe operator needs to be involved only forexception handling.Through close integrationwith systems such as those supplied byInternational Terminal Solutions Limited,automation can act as the “eyes and fingers”of the TOS – tracking the progress of a pieceof container handling equipment (CHE) inreal-time as it makes its way through differentzones of the terminal.Without automation,the operator of the CHE is required to manually advise the TOS that a job step hasbeen reached, which has the potential toimpact upon operational efficiency (time,accuracy etc).This makes it important for aTOS to be ‘open’ in its ability to a number ofexternal systems, using modern techniquessuch as web services and XML, adds Jones.US-headquartered Tideworks Technology alsonotes the ongoing trends in the markettowards optimisation and automation.This,the company states, makes it imperative forTOS suppliers to provide effective integrationwith third-party automation technologies andother business-critical systems.With thisbeing the case, terminals continue to seektechnologies that can enhance efficiency andreduce their overall costs, and suppliers needto be flexible around those needs.Meanwhile,Australia’s Realtime BusinessSolutions (RBS) lists similar factors in themarket’s current development, including theuse of big data and openness to other software and hardware.

While Russian developer Solvo.TOS alsoacknowledges the familiar goals of increasingefficiency and reducing labour costs, it addsthat the security benefits of a TOS shouldnot be underestimated.As with automationprocesses, this relies on the system effectivelyintegrating with wider port technologies.Combined with a terminal’s checkpoints, gatesand other related software, the developer

The Tenacity of Technology

G

On trend(s)

Security of mind

Photo courtesy of ITS

June 2015 World Port Development 43

c o n t a i n e ro p e r a t i n g s y s t e m

states its TOS can “virtually eliminate” cargotheft at terminals.This starts with theprocess of accrediting truck drivers as theyenter the terminal. Solvo.TOS incorporates aregistry of drivers for verification, includingdetails such as passport data.To gather theinformation initially required to implementthese checks, information about each driverwho is set to visit the terminal is entered bya forwarder into Solvo.TOS in advance usinga secure web portal - a process verified by anauthentication code sent to the forwarder’s

phone. Solvo also makes a point of its forward-thinking use of electronic signaturesin some instances across its operations -offering efficacy, a safeguard against forgery,and a reduction in paperwork. Other secureSolvo.TOS features include an interface forsecurity personnel to manage in-gate andout-gate checks on either stationary PCs orwireless mobile devices.The Solvo.TOS canalso be integrated with, for example,automatic gate opening and optical characterrecognition systems (OCRs).This can beused to record any damage to containers andthe existence of proper seals.After inspection,Solvo.TOS prints a container inspection

certificate, a copy of which is then sent tothe forwarder. If OCR or video surveillanceequipment is available, photographs of thedamage can be attached automatically.Solvo adds that security responsibilities forthe TOS don’t end at entry and exit points.Accurate tracking through CHE driver loginsand the integration of GPS/GLONASS satellite positioning systems and equipmentprovide full accountability, traceability, andmake containers being ‘lost’ on the yard virtually impossible.

Spanish automation technology and engineeringcompany Orbita Ingenieria provides a goodexample of both third-party integration andthe role TOS plays in security. In March, itannounced that it had successfully completedthe validation of its Gate Operating System(GateOS) with Navis N4 2.6 TOS, following athree-month collaborative effort.“The purpose of this work has been to provideOrbita’s engineers with the knowledge of thegate processes and methods of N4 and todevelop standardised and tested interfacesbetween our two platforms,” said Francisco

Grau, Port Director at Orbita, at the time ofthe announcement.“Orbita wants to be up todate and ready for any integration projectswith the market leader in TOS systems.” The testing work with Navis N4 2.6 wascompleted on all current versions of Orbita’sGateSuite solutions, including the GateOperating System (GateOS), GateKiosk,GateClerk and YardKiosk.This covers testingin a range of applications such as gate accesscontrol, license plate and container OCR, andtrouble resolution in the Gate System and in N4.

Of course, it’s not only integrations betweentechnologies from different suppliers thatlead to success.As in most sectors, newinstallations are often an extension of a supplier’s incumbent relationship with aclient. Last year, for example, Canadian ferrycompany Marine Atlantic Inc selected HogiaGroup’s HT Complete solution to supportoperations at all three of its ports andimprove service levels for its freight customers.This is an extension of the ferryreservation system BOOKIT, supplied byHogia Ferry Systems in 2007.This integratedsolution is purportedly “one of the first of itskind”, with real-time synchronised databetween a terminal management and ferryreservation system.This removes the need toduplicate data entry and offers a seamlessinteraction between terminal operation activities and ferry freight reservations.Such an ability to offer a range of complementary systems is a fillip within anycompany’s product portfolio. CyberLogitechas an ace up its sleeve in this respect withEagle Eye – a system of various sub-systemsin container terminals that it boasts interfaces with any type of TOS.Whereas aTOS will handle macro-planning using long-term information of the berthing schedule, loading and discharging cargoinputs, gate transactions and other large-scaleintermodal logistics, Eagle Eye’s ‘VirtualTerminal’ is more granular.This is scalablearound a terminal’s set-up, and can providevisibility for the supervision of all real-timeactivities of equipment based on automaticand electromechanically updated event andposition signals. Its major functions include,but aren’t limited to:

☛ container and CHE position tracking and status monitoring

☛ Visibility via the Virtual Terminal interface

All together now

Giving the customers(lots of) options

☛ A platform for integration of subsystems and peripherals

☛ Operation analysis and replays☛ Emulations and simulations

CyberLogitec has high expectations for EagleEye, which has been picked up by major terminals in the Middle East and Far East.This includes an intention to reduce the gapbetween planning and operation.“Eagle Eye isable to help users solve unexpected situationswith more flexibility and composure, leadingto higher efficiency and providing full visibilityof the operation,” the manufacturer tells WPD.

Another example of Hogia systems in actioncan be found at Sweden’s Trelleborg, whichfor a number of years has been working tobecome the Baltic’s most environmentallysmart port.This includes working with amodern IT set-up in which Hogia’s terminaloperating system (TOS), business system andWarehouse Management System (WMS) arefully integrated.This, Hogia states, creates a“goldmine of information for the port,customers, suppliers and other links in thelogistics chain.” As Scandinavia’s busiest ro-roport,Trelleborg averages 30 daily arrivals anddepartures in ferry traffic alone. It is also theBaltic’s largest railway port and the secondbiggest in Sweden in terms of tonnes ofcargo handled per annum.This places anemphasis on the importance of streamliningprocesses to achieve its environmental goalsand reduce emissions.The multifaceted ITsolution at Trelleborg means both the portand its operational customers can quickly seewhere cargo is, where it’s bound and when.The TOS interface and digital reportingreplaces a previous paper-based manualmodel, making it more contemporaneous andreliable.This includes reducing unnecessarydriving and wasted journeys, thus helping todecrease diesel consumption for all workvehicles at the port by around 30% since2010 – a period during which traffic andcargo volumes have increased.

A further Baltic case study can be found inTideworks Technology’s announcement inMarch that it had successfully implementedits latest electronic data interchange (EDI)offering at Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) inGdynia, Poland.This EDI PorterSM as aPlatform (EPaaP) solution is for customers

who want the benefits of Tideworks’ hostedEDI, but prefer to administer their EDI infrastructure in-house.Tideworks presidentMichael Schwank explains that BCT is perfectly suited to this type of solution,thanks to the experienced group of IT professionals at the terminal.The EPaaP solution is configured and installed at thecustomer’s site, including the entire suite ofEPaaP applications. Once Tideworks has setup the system and provided training, the customer can easily manage their EDIautonomously at the terminal. Softwareupgrades are provided free of charge as partof Tideworks’ maintenance and support programme.Also in March,Tideworksannounced that CSX Intermodal Terminal Inc(CSXIT) had successfully deployed itsTideworks Intermodal Pro TOS and TrafficControl work order dispatch and equipmentcontrol system at its 318-acre Winter Havenintermodal facility in Florida.This facility hasthe capacity to process and transport up to300,000 containers a year.These systems willhelp to enhance multiple operational aspects,including container inventory, railcar inventory,control of container movements and coordination of activities to and from trucks.This new system replaces CSXIT’s in-houseTOS and was delivered as part of an ongoing,multi-terminal relationship betweenTideworks and the operator.

From a product development perspective,Tideworks has recently introduced numerousfeature sets to optimise rail terminal operations,which can also be deployed in a marine terminal context.These include ‘live lift’ capability, job prioritisation, dynamic divisionsfor wide span cranes and work list optimisation,among others.The company is also nearingcompletion of extensive integration anddevelopment work at its first automatedstacking crane (ASC) marine terminal.Tideworks states that it has developed some“very advanced” features for this project totake advantage of the capabilities of ASCs.These include automated set-asides, automatedhousekeeping and ‘dynamic yard allocations’,which enable the yard allocation ranges on thesystem to dynamically expand and contract.The set-aside feature selects the destinationlocation of a container based on a processthat ultimately minimises the probability of that box needing to be set aside again.Additionally, there are features that minimise travel distances for the ASCs andensure work is evenly distributed among

the cranes to facilitate efficient use.

Elsewhere, New Zealand-headquartered,multinational developer Jade Software statesthat it enjoyed a successful year in 2014,capped off by a multi-terminal sale of itsMaster Terminal port management softwareto Abu Dhabi Port Company (ADPC).Thisincludes seven terminals, with the companystating the deal further enhances its reputationas “the mixed cargo terminal operating systemof choice in the Gulf region.” ADPC will useMaster Terminal to manage all aspects of itsgeneral cargo operations, including bulk,breakbulk, project and ro-ro cargo. MasterTerminal replaces a legacy general cargo system, with the first ports to benefit fromthe technology being Mina Zayed in thenorth-eastern area of Abu Dhabi, and Khalifa,a deep water port midway between Dubaiand Abu Dhabi.This order follows on fromnotable, multi-terminal deals across theworld, including contracts from customers inEurope,Africa and the Middle East.TheseQuarter 3 orders brought Jade’s total newmarine terminal contracts to 29 for the year.

Australia’s RBS can also happily reflect on anumber of recent orders and installationsaround the world.This includes the implementation of its TOPOVN foundationsystem at Saigon New Port Cat Lai Terminalin Vietnam.The terminal’s operator, SaigonNewport Cooperation (SNP), was a long-termincumbent client for RBS before this latestproject went live in February.The newTOPOVN replaces a previous systemresponsible for managing container data. Itwill work in parallel with another modulefrom the RBS Terminal Operation PackageSystem (TOPS) – the TOPX, which wasinstalled in 2008 and is responsible for executive planning.At a total investment of$1.1 million, the new combination of RBStechnologies has a purported capacity tomanage 4.5 million TEUs per annum. By simplifying procedures, it could result innotable time and labour savings - reducinghandling times from 2-3 hours per containerto 50 minutes. Other recent TOS go-liveprojects for RBS include the Lamong BayTerminal in Surabaya, Indonesia, which is running 20 Konecranes ASCs. In another contract with an Indonesian client, the company will also supply the TOS for thenew Petikemas Semarang terminal on Java.This will involve the supply of the full

June 2015 World Port Development 45

c o n t a i n e ro p e r a t i n g s y s t e m

Smarter systems,cleaner environment

Tideworks: Baltic & beyond

New Tideworks Technology

Joy for Jade Software

Global automation for RBS

operational package TOPX at the world’sfirst automated terminal to work with automated RTGs from Konecranes.“Afteralready implementing and running an automatedterminal for several years with our TOPXsystem in Tokyo, the two terminals inIndonesia are adding to the success storywith RBS automation,” the company states.

In March, Solvo announced that it had introduced a new registration system for thearrival of drivers of external road transportat Container Terminal Saint Petersburg(CTSP). Dubbed the ‘electronic truck-driver’queue, Solvo both developed the softwarefor this system and managed its delivery andinstallation of all the necessary equipment.CTSP has an ongoing relationship with Solvo,with the Solvo.TOS in action at the terminalsince it started operations at the end of2010.This included the provision of theSolvo.VBS (Vehicle Booking System), a time-slotting subsystem to manage bottlenecksthat enabled the allocation of specific time

windows in which a vehicle could be processed.Despite this, due to the infrastructure surrounding CTSP (including a railroad crossing over the road into the terminal),drivers were frequently arriving en masse atthe beginning of an allocated time-slot. Butcongestion and frustration at the entry pointwas only part of the problem.When a largenumber of drivers arrive to the terminalsimultaneously, it’s often the case that multipledrivers attempt to get an import containerfrom the same stack, and the terminal wouldneed to perform non-productive containermoves as a result.To solve both issues, thenew driver queue system has reorganised theorder in which vehicles enter the terminal - taking the location of the import containerseach driver will collect into account, andintegrating with the driver accreditationmodule of Solvo.TOS.This way, a driver has to only scan his electronic permit at thekiosk and confirm registration by pressingone button on the kiosk’s sensor screen.Then, once in the terminal, unnecessarilyinefficient processes are kept to a minimum.

And finally, a further example of Solvo’s workat CTSP can be found in this year’s introductionof an automatic reefer (refrigerated container)monitoring system at the terminal. Brought inover the spring, this represents a collaborationbetween Solvo and Emerson ClimateTechnologies. It integrates Solvo.TOS technologywith the Emerson REFCON control system.The latter enables operators to check on thestatus and temperature of reefer containersand their cargoes across the world, both onvessels and on terminal yards, via remotemonitoring modems (RMMs). RMMs areinstalled on 60% of the world’s reefer containers, while the Emerson REFCON system is successfully operating on over 70container terminals worldwide and 2,500container vessels of leading shipping lines.Within the automated set-up at CTSP,information regarding the required temperatureand the location for the container is receivedby the Emerson REFCON system from Solvo.TOS. Correspondingly, after its automatedchecks, all collected information about thecontainer status is sent back by REFCON toSolvo.TOS, verifying whether the container’sstatus is as should be expected.The greatadvantages of such automated monitoring include:

☛ Preventitive monitoring - the system signals when there is a problem with the container before the load can even be damaged.

☛ A reduction in operating and payroll costs - when automated checks aren’t run on a regular basis, these must be done manually.

☛ Removing human error - the system will never allow a container to ‘slip through’ unchecked and will never specify incorrect temperature data.

☛ Better work safety - automated operations remove the need for the staff toenter busy areas of the container yard.

Solvo states that CTSP is the first and onlyterminal in Russia to implement such a state-of-the-art automated reefer monitoringsystem. Most of the reefers arriving at CTSPare transported by the MSC line, and it’sexpected that soon the proportion of thesecontainers equipped with modems will reach95%.With this being the case, the share ofmanual monitoring at the terminal willbecome increasingly insignificant, and thebenefits of the automated system more pronounced.All of which seems very muchon trend for the market as a whole.

World Port Development June 201546

c o n t a i n e r o p e r a t i n g s y s t e m

RBS can happily reflect on a number of recent orders

Cool runnings

Solvo success in St Petersburg

“When a large number of drivers arrive to the terminal simultaneously,it’s often the case that multiple drivers attempt to get an import container from the same stack, and the terminal would need to

perform non-productive container moves as a result.

To solve both issues, the new driver queue system has reorganised the order in which vehicles enter the terminal

- taking the location of the import containers each driver will collect into account -

and integrating with the driver accreditation module of Solvo.TOS.”