RWG terminal opens in Rotterdam

The highly automated Rotterdam World Gateway terminal, where all cranes and vehicles on the terminal run on electricity, announced its official opening today.    The Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) terminal, located at Maasvlakte 2 at the Port of Rotterdam, announced it officially opened today.
   The terminal is a consortium that consists of terminal operator DP World and four shipping lines: APL, MOL, HMM and CMA CGM.
   All cranes and vehicles on the highly automated RWG terminal run on electricity. The high level of automation at the terminal results in shorter distances for internal transport and less equipment on the terminal.
   The RWG terminal, which can handle the largest vessels afloat, is equipped with dedicated handling facilities for barge, rail and road. The 108 hectare terminal has an annual capacity of 2.3 million TEUs and features a deep-sea quay with eleven deep-sea cranes, a depth of 20 meters and a length of 1,150 meters.
   In addition, the terminal  has a barge/feeder quay with three cranes, a depth of 11 meters and a length of 550 meters.
   The on dock rail facility is equipped with six tracks and includes two rail cranes and the RWG Terminal features 50 automatic stacking cranes.
   “Most of our employees are IT specialists,” RWG Managing Director Ronald Lugthart said in a statement. “It is a completely new way in container operations. We are, in fact, an IT company that handles containers: a container terminal 3.0. With this, RWG wants to set an example for the world.”