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The ARMGs operate using a terminal operating system and equipment control system. They will lift and stow the containers delivered from the Lift Automated Guided Vehicles (LAGVs) (press release of March 19, 2012) that shuttle containers to and from the berth and rail terminal. Of interest, at night or when the terminal is quiet, the system features a “housekeeping” capability that restows/restacks containers in the best spot for early morning truck appointments or for easy access for the next vessel loadplan. This feature of automated yard optimization of the stack during quiet times allows for better efficiency at peak times. Intermodal-wise, APM Terminals Maasvlakte II will feature an ondock rail terminal with eight tracks to serve the high volume intermodal cargo to the European hinterland. To deliver the highest efficiency, two Kuenz rail cranes will be used to load and unload trains. The cranes are wide to span eight tracks. The rail cranes will be operated manually by a driver in a cabin but a large part of the activity runs in automated mode. The railcranes are configured for more automation at a later stage. For both crane types, Kuenz will use ABB as the supplier for the electrical and automation system. Kuenz, based in Hard, Austria, is an industry leader in intermodal cranes and stacking cranes and will deliver the equipment in 2013 and 2014. About APM Terminals – providing the port and inland infrastructure to lift global trade APM Terminals’ Global Terminal Network of ports and inland services provide the infrastructure for the growth of international trade, 90% of which travels by sea. International commerce is an economic growth engine, creating jobs, lifting economies and improving people’s lives around the world. With world headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, the company’s core expertise is the design, construction, management and operation of ports, terminals and inland services with a Global Terminal Network of 62 port facilities in 36 countries and Inland Services operations in over 150 locations in 46 countries. In 2011, the company had revenues of USD 4.7 billion, net profit of USD 649 million and committed over USD 3 billion in new port developments and expansions - and expects to do similar in 2012. To give further context to APM Terminals business position in The Netherlands, based on its annual revenue of $4.7 billion in 2011, APM Terminals would rank 19th among the AEX Index companies currently listed on Amsterdam’s Euronext stock exchange. In The Netherlands, APM Terminals has over 100 employees working in The Hague headquarters; 700 employees in APM Terminals Rotterdam Maasvlakte I container terminal; and is building the world’s newest, safest, most modern container terminal in Maasvlakte II, scheduled to open in 2014. The company’s Europe regional office is also located in Rotterdam. APM Terminals press release |