The first two of a total of 26 automated rail-mounted gantry cranes (ARMGs) have been delivered to the APM Terminals new Maasvlakte II terminal site.
The first part of civil construction has been completed paving the way for the installation of the ultra-modern, highly automated equipment.
“ The engineering phase has been very interesting, but this is where the hard work really begins ” stated APM Terminals Maasvlakte II ARMG Project Manager, Richard de Braak .
“ Thorough testing of automated equipment and IT is core to our plans to deliver the terminal of the future ,” stated APM Terminals Maasvlakte II Managing Director Frank Tazelaar , adding “ This on time delivery of the first ARMGs enables us to start testing as per plan”.
The APM Terminals Maasvlakte II facility, scheduled to open in November 2014 with an initial annual throughput capacity of 2.7 million TEUs, will be the most technologically advanced container terminal in the world, and will be capable of handling the world’s largest containerships with 1000 meters of quay and a 20-meter depth.
Supporting the existing APM Terminals Rotterdam terminal, one of the largest in Europe, handling 2.49 million TEUs in 2012, the new terminal’s on-dock rail terminal will initially include four tracks, expanding to eight tracks at full build-out with a direct connection to the Betuwe rail line, a 160 km (100 mile) dedicated double track electric-powered freight line which links the Port of Rotterdam with the German border at Zevenaar-Emmerich.
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II terminal will also provide seamless access to the existing European river transportation network with 500 meters of dedicated barge quay. The reduction of road congestion and highway truck traffic is part of APM Terminals’ global commitment to environmental sustainability, and meets the Port of Rotterdam’s local requirements to expand non-road intermodal container transportation.
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Press Release, March 26, 2013