Preparing for automated container transfers in Australian ports

Port of Brisbane’s Vision 2060 outlines what the port precinct could look like in 35 years, through research and industry collaborations. Automation at Australian ports has largely focused on wharf and terminal facilities. However, the critical operational gap of short-haul container transfers between terminals and landside operations remains mostly manual.

This project will design a framework and operational standards, incorporating simulation of automated container transfers, in a digital twin. The framework will address the regulatory, safety, technical, and security requirements for such an ecosystem.

It will investigate the operational requirements to support automation at a commercial ready scale and identify infrastructure and technology gaps. The framework will be scalable, acting as a blueprint for other Australian ports.

Participants

• Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL)
• Queensland University of Technology

Project background

In FY24 the Port of Brisbane and its supply chain continued to power the Queensland economy with $11 billion total economic contribution and supported 73,000 jobs, including approximately 10,380 employees in the port precinct.

As populations grow, so does the pressure placed on not only the Port of Brisbane, but Australian container ports in general, as they seek to cater for increased trade volumes more efficiently.

This challenge is compounded by a range of other industry drivers, including decarbonisation, balancing mode share to increase freight on rail, labour shortages and the need to improve safety.

This opportunity lies in leveraging advanced automation technologies to support greater efficiency of handling and transporting containers between landside terminals and depots, without compromising safety. Efforts to introduce automation to port operations have historically been limited to the wharf and terminal component of container handling.

As such, there remains a critical infrastructure and operational gap in short-haul container transfers between terminal and landside operations, with this largely remaining a manual task.

PBPL’s ‘Vision 2060’ outlines what the port precinct could look like in 35 years, through research and industry collaborations. Vision 2060 has identified the need to accommodate increased trade and future uncertainties through the development of a robust, intermodal transportation ecosystem enabling automated and efficient container transfers between port facilities.

This project will simulate automated container transfers in a digital twin, incorporating framework and operational standards. The framework will address the regulatory, safety, technical, and security requirements for such an ecosystem.

Focusing on container transfers between rail, depots and terminals, the project will investigate the requirements to support automation at a commercial and technology-ready scale and identify infrastructure and technology gaps. The framework will be scalable, acting as a blueprint for other Australian ports to assist with their implementation of automated solutions.

Queensland University of Technology contributes world-leading expertise in digital twin technology and automated vehicle systems, providing the scientific and technical foundations to deliver scalable solutions for automated container transfers.

Project objectives

Twin prototype to support end-to-end automated container transfers.

Specifically, the project will:

1. Develop a set of modular digital twin building blocks that are interoperable across a range of automated vehicle use-cases within the Port of Brisbane.
2. Establish a regulatory and safety compliance framework to enable scalable, safe, and efficient deployment of automated container transfers.

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!