Transport Online – Successful pilot with autonomous container transport in Zeeland

NIEUWDORP – An innovative pilot with autonomous transport is underway in Zeeland. This tests whether autonomous – self-driving – means of transport can be used in logistics, for example in transport from the quay to the shipyard. It is also being tested whether autonomous transport is possible in places where means of transport have to mix with ‘normal’ traffic. The pilot takes place on the site of logistics company Lineage and phase 2 has recently been successfully completed.

Project Living Lab Autonoom Transport Zeeland (ATZ) is set up as an open innovation system in which logistics companies, technology suppliers for autonomous vehicles, road authorities and knowledge institutions jointly research innovations in logistics. The experiment focuses on the use of autonomous vehicles in combination with non-autonomous traffic. This involves testing on situations that occur in daily practice in logistics, such as work and transport on public roads.

The recently completed phase tested autonomous transport from the yard to the quay on the Lineage site in Vlissingen, in such a way that it seamlessly integrates into Lineage’s operational processes. Since innovation is one of Lineage’s core values, it was no surprise that Lineage showed interest in contributing to the pilot. Supported by developers Terberg and EasyMile, the company made one of the terminals in Vlissingen available.

Proof of concept

ATZ, which is made possible by the European Regional Development Fund, the State and the Province of Zeeland, in the context of OPZuid, started the experiment in 2022 with Proof of Concept 1 (PoC1). This phase was successfully completed with a demonstration for all stakeholders involved. Opportunities for improvements identified during PoC1 made it necessary to initiate a Proof of Concept 2 (PoC2). This phase was completed in December 2023.

PoC2 turned out to be an important step in the development of autonomous transport solutions. The objective of the phase was to improve efficiency, safety and productivity in container terminal operations. The developers of the truck were also involved – manufacturer Terberg Benschop and technology supplier EasyMile – and Lineage as operator of the location.

During PoC2 it was tested how the autonomous terminal truck (ATT) and its systems could be further refined, allowing an autonomous truck to drive safely in a container terminal for mixed traffic: that is, traffic with and without a driver mixed together. Thanks to PoC2, EasyMile and Terberg now have the valuable information they need to further improve their hardware and systems, ultimately developing a market-ready ATT.

“We wanted to participate in this pilot,” says Mark Ketelaar, regional operational vice president Benelux at Lineage. “We are continuously looking at opportunities to increase efficiency and modernize the supply chain through innovation and automation. But also to better deal with bottlenecks in the chain and challenges from the labor market. The impact of automation extends beyond a single location and its employees. Greater efficiency in the supply chain will ultimately contribute to an improved food system with less waste and higher food quality and safety.”

Ketelaar: “The collaboration between Terberg, EasyMile and Lineage is crucial for the potential success of the project and emphasizes the importance of coordination and synergy among all stakeholders.”

Results

The main purpose of PoC2 was to test whether a loaded container on the ATT chassis could be driven to all predefined RTG transfer points. Not all objectives were successfully achieved in this phase, but valuable information was collected on, among other things, the transport of loaded containers, the availability and accessibility of all pre-defined RTG transfer points and on the number of manual actions that the safety driver has to perform. Ultimately, there was a clear improvement in the speed and system stability of the vehicle.

Next phase

The development of new potential functions has already started and the next step will be to continue testing with reverse driving and to further autonomize transport. Was there still a safety driver in previous phases; In future phases, further testing will be carried out with remote operation and even with no person in the cabin at all. Extensive driving and testing under adverse weather conditions, such as rain and fog, will also be included in the next phase.