Introduction new idea for faster transfer between ship to shore cranes and stackcranes by multi level rail mounted shuttle carriers (ML – RM – SHC)

On modern automated container terminal now a days the transport between STS area and stack area takes place by either AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) or SHC (automated shuttle carriers / autostrads).
The most important difference between those two concepts is coupling or decoupling of the transfer process.

An important similarity is the fact that both concepts occupy a transfer area of about 100 meters wide parallel to the quay. In our search to minimize this big space occupation we came to the idea of a ML-RM-SHC concept (Multi Level – Rail Mounted – Shuttle Carrier). That multi level horizontal transport parallel to the quay in combination with the two level transport by the OHBC stack cranes perpendicular to the quay has many advantages:

• Strong reduction of space occupation.
• Substantial increase of stack capacity.
• Strong reduction of transport distances.
• Reduction of the number of transport devices.
• Little crossings at the same level.
• Faster handling / higher performance.
• Less energy consumption.

As one can see this in the following animation.