Digitalization and automation — the remote-controlled terminal

It is a far cry from chalk on asphalt and paper lists to the systems that control a modern terminal today. Yet the purpose is the same as it has always been: to know where goods are and get them further to the right place at the right time. What is new is how much of that planning and operation happens digitally and remotely today.

§Terminal Operating System — the brain behind the site

A Terminal Operating System (TOS) is the digital system that keeps track of where each container is when it should go next and which machine should move it. Danish terminals invest continuously in new TOS solutions — Copenhagen Malmö Port has for example implemented a new system to improve planning of the container terminal. When you get a work order on your screen in a truck or reach stacker it is usually the TOS system that has calculated that sequence.

§Automated and Remote-Controlled Cranes

At the latest Danish container terminals, major investments have been made in large ship-to-shore cranes (STS cranes) that can be operated semi-automatically or remote-controlled from a control room. This means that a crane operator can sit far from the actual crane and control the lift using screens and sensors, while automation handles parts of the repetitive work. This changes the work from physical presence high in the crane to monitoring and precision control from a screen.

§Green transition goes hand in hand with digitalisation

At the same time as digital development Danish terminals are investing in the green transition. Several terminals are preparing for shore power connections so ships can shut down their engines and draw power from land while they are at berth and with electrification of cranes and other terminal equipment. This reduces both noise and emissions in the port area — something that matters more the closer the terminal is to residential areas.

§What it means for your competencies

The development means that the future terminal worker will increasingly need to be able to handle digital systems read screens and sensors and understand when the automation does its job correctly—and when it does not. Those who can combine the classic craft sense for goods and machines with the ability to work with IT systems are in a strong position as more terminals become digitized.

“The digital terminal changes where you sit and what you look at — not the fundamental goal of getting the cargo to the right place.”