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Port Automation Debate Rages
BY JOHN MCCURRY
Port of Barcelona
Port automation is a much-debated topic these days. As ports, labor unions, government agencies and logistics firms weigh in over potential job losses and cost savings, automation has become an increasingly sensitive issue.
The debate is especially hot at the Port of Los Angeles, according to coverage by the Los Angeles Times. Maersk plans to start using driverless electric cargo handlers inside its huge facility. The global shipping giant
says the 130 vehicles and associated infrastructure will help the Port of Los Angeles compete with East Coast and Gulf ports. The Times reported that starting in late July, Maersk planned to install the first of its 45-foot-high robotic machines, which transfer containers from ships to trucks.
On the East Coast, the Georgia Port Authority recently selected RailComm, LLC as the yard management system provider for the new Port of Savannah Multi-Modal Connector.
RailComm’s yard management system will allow for remote control of 83 powered rail switches and 38 powered derail devices.
RailComm says that from either a centralized office location or a remote touchscreen kiosk, switches can be remotely thrown individually or lined as part of a route by either a yardmaster or work crews on the ground. The yard control system allows crews to move intermodal cars carrying containers through the facility without manually throwing switches.
