From being the first port in the UK to embrace containerisation in the 1960s, to the development of the world’s first Port Community System in the 70’s and 80’s through to the UK’s first mega-vessel berths in the 2010’s and the deployment of Autonomous Trucks in the 2020’s.
The port is the first in Europe and one of the first in the world to deploy Automated Trucks in a mixed traffic environment. Equipped with innovative battery-changing technology, the AI-driven trucks will increase the efficiency and operational consistency of container handling as well as making a significant contribution to decarbonising operations at the port.
Port of Felixstowe has integrated semi-automated remote-controlled ship-to-shore and yard cranes into port operations. Deployed on Berths 8&9 the yard cranes operate in automated mode the majority of time with remote-controlled operation only required for lifting containers to or from vehicles. The new cranes deliver both greater operational efficiency and better working conditions for operators.
The Next Generation Terminal Management System (nGen) was developed in-house by Hutchison Ports to increase capacity, service and efficiency. It is scalable across all non-proprietary computer system hardware, from a small feeder terminal operation to large hub ports. nGen and its development approach have been recognised with technology excellence awards and certifications. The latest version of nGen has been modified to work with the semi-automated and remote-control equipment as well as autonomous trucks being deployed at Felixstowe.
The Port of Felixstowe knows having access to the latest and most accurate information about containers or vessels is extremely important to our customers. We’re committed to delivering the best service to our customers and our app, ubi, makes it easier to get the latest container and shipping information, wherever you are. It enables the tracking of containers in real-time and with our progress bar you can see its status wherever it is on its journey through the port, and be notified if there is a status change.
The PARIS software (parisoptimalplanning.com) has been developed and refined to provide shipping lines and logistics providers with an integrated system that can compare millions of possibilities by road, rail or water in seconds to identify the most-efficient, least-cost option for planning an entire region. As circumstances change, the plan changes, PARIS constantly updates and refines the transport plan in real-time to ensure it retains the best transport plan if, for example, delivery and collection times change or if there are variations in equipment availability at inland depots.
