A Comparative Study on Two Types of Automated Container Terminal Systems

This paper introduces a new type of automated container terminal system, which utilizes multistory frame bridges and rail-mounted trolleys to transport containers between the quay and the yard. For this new design concept, this paper makes an explorative study to identify the challenges and opportunity for it to be applied in transshipment hubs. We compare the transport efficiency and stacking capacity between this new system and the widely used AGV-based system. Several analytical models and performance measures are proposed for the quantitative comparisons between these two ACT systems.