The test facility at Terminal 4 has 792 container slots
The BoxBay joint venture between DP World and industrial engineering specialist SMS group has completed the first 10,000 container moves in its high bay storage system at Jebel Ali Port.
The patented automated container handling system stores containers up to eleven stories high in steel racks, delivering more than three times the capacity of a conventional yard and offering the possibility to reduce the footprint of terminals by up to 70%.
According to the partners, the milestone at the Dubai test facility, which has 792 container slots, demonstrates that the technology works, creating a pathway to dramatically change the way containers are handled in ports around the world.
Mathias Dobner, chairman and CEO of BoxBay, said: “We have been making great progress in setting up the system in Terminal 4. Usually, when setting up a new plant or system, you first have to run practical tests to find out where further optimisation will be needed – especially, when the system you are building is the very first one of its type, as is the case with BoxBay.
“In order to enhance the reliability of the technology, we have been thoroughly analysing the information collected by our warehouse management system. These were immense amounts of data. But they enabled us to make adjustments continuously wherever necessary. BoxBay has set out to revolutionise global supply chains.”
Traditionally containers are stacked one on top of the other in rows meaning many containers have to be moved to access containers lower down in the stacks.
BoxBay, which will be demonstrated to the public during EXPO 2020 in Dubai in October, is designed to be fully electrified and can be powered by solar panels on its roof.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “The completion of the first 10,000 moves demonstrates that the BoxBay concept works in the real world. This technology has the potential to revolutionise how ports and terminals operate around the world.”
The technology behind the high bay storage system was originally developed by SMS group for handling of metal coils that weigh as much as 50 tonnes in racks as high as 50 m.
Klaus Poeggeler, general site manager of SMS group company AMOVA, said: “Seeing the new system set up within just one year was really impressive. Nevertheless, safety of the teams on site has always had top priority. We didn’t have a single accident during the complete assembly and installation phase – not even a cut in a finger.”
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Construction of the test facility with 792 container slots was completed in July last year in Terminal 4 of Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
