High Tech Equipment To Bring Kawasaki Port Into The Future

High tech equipment from Japanese-based steelmaker and diversified engineering company NKK Corp. is transforming Kawasaki Port from a purely industrial facility to an international commercial port that is expected to meet the containerized distribution needs of the next century, according to a spokesperson from NKK, which supplied all the core equipment and automated terminal operations systems under a full turnkey project. The first phase of construction of the Kawasaki Port Container Terminal has been completed, and the facility can handle vessels up to 50,000 dwt with a 46 ft. (14 m) deep berth.

Considered an innovative breakthrough in Japan's port facilities, the container terminal employs two giant dual-trolley container cranes, and eight rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes linked to NKK-ACTS automated container terminal operation system. These were all supplied by NKK Steel Structure & Machinery Division, as part of the $60 million contract. The facility, based on a reclaimed island adjacent to NKK's Ohgishima steel complex, operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

According to an NKK spokesperson, the NKKACTS computer system incorporates a number of high-tech information processing systems including loading/unloading scheduling, container storage control, optimum handling instruction, reefer-container monitoring and EDI (electronic data interchange) outside telecommunication systems.

The second phase will add three container cranes and six RMG cranes. When the second phase of the project is complete, scheduled in 2001, the facility will accommodate 80,000 dwt vessels.

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