ABB Crane Systems has begun commercial production of the world’s first unmanned ship-to-shore crane system after developing the technology in close co-operation with Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) in Panama.
The remote operation was developed with MIT (pictured), which had a team of engineers and operators to test and evaluate the functionality.
ABB said that the unmanned STS crane was realised as a logical step in the company’s extensive range of automation solutions for STS and stacking cranes. As Cargo Systems reported in December 2007, the partners initially developed a system which fixed the operator’s cabin to one of the waterside legs of the STS crane. That step has now led on to a fully remote operation.
According to ABB, the unmanned STS crane is “an excellent example of how one market segment can benefit from progress made in another segment”.
The firm explained that the unmanned operation was one important step in a series of development projects targeting STS crane productivity, energy efficiency and driver ergonomics.
Instead of sitting in the cabin attached to the trolley, the crane operator can now supervise the operation from a remote control station similar to that used for automatic stacking cranes (ASCs).
The development is expeted to means a greatly improved working environment for the crane operator without imposing stresses on his back.
“We are pleased to see the new unmanned operation in production and are proud to be the first in the world to deliver the system,” said ABB.
Courtesy: www.cargosystems.net
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