Optical Character Recognition News

More than $220 million in discretionary grant funding has been awarded to improve U.S. port facilities in 16 states and territories through the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced Thursday.“This $220 million in federal grants will improve America’s ports with nearly half the projects are located in Opportunity Zones, which were established to revitalize economically distressed communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L.

American transportation company Norfolk Southern has signed a deal with Kalmar, part of Cargotec, for supply of four Kalmar SmartPower rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) equipped with a suite of process automation solutions.According to a press release, the order was booked in Cargotec's 2018 Q4 order intake with delivery scheduled to be completed by the end of Q4 2019. Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 route miles in 23 states, serves every major container ports in the eastern United States and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. In addition to containers, the company is also a major transporter of coal, automotive products and industrial goods.

This year has seen record-breaking performance at APM Terminals Gothenburg and the return of major shippers and consignees to the terminal. Progress is set to continue as efficiency increases through automation, including self-service gates and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for rail and truck gates due later this year.Over the last year, APM Terminals Gothenburg has implemented a number of concrete initiatives to improve the customer experience. These include maintaining satisfactory and stable production, increasing manpower flexibility to meet customer requests, improved digital customer platforms, and upgraded landside services such as new empty container inspections, improved rail services and self-service at gates.

The first group of three, of a total of 12 advanced remotecontrolled ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, has departed China for delivery on February 15 to the new APM Terminals MedPort Tangier, Morocco terminal. Manufactured by ZPMC in Shanghai, the super post-Panamax cranes will be able to accommodate 20,000 TEU vessels, giving the facility an annual container throughput capacity of five million TEUs. “Our goal is to use proven technology to create highproductivity for our clients on one of the world’s most strategically important trade lanes on the Strait of Gibraltar,” said APM Terminals MedPort Tangier Managing Director Dennis Olesen. Scheduled to become operational in 2019…

North American ports must adapt to changes in customer demand and future industry trajectory, said APM Terminals head of Hub Terminals, Jack Craig. “The customer landscape has changed and become much more competitive. We as an industry need to work together, adapt and respond or watch the cargo move elsewhere,” according to Craig. The vessel alliances now reshaping the industry have been a success for ocean carriers and their quest for cost savings, asset efficiency and economies of scale. “Larger alliances, larger vessels and larger port call volumes per ship are a catalyst to improve performance at ports. In Elizabeth, New Jersey – APM Terminals is one of the largest container terminals in the Port of New York & New Jersey port complex…

APM Terminals Port Elizabeth welcomed the 8,700 TEU capacity CMA CGM Bianca, marking the first call of the weekly Ocean Alliance US East Coast Loop 3 Service, providing direct service to the US East Coast from ports in China and Southeast Asia. After a formal welcoming ceremony held at the facility, APM Terminals Port Elizabeth hosted a reception for senior executives of Ocean Alliance member lines to commemorate the occasion. The CMA CGM Bianca arrived and departed on schedule with a berth productivity of 129.2 moves per hour (MPH) for the 4,393 container moves at the terminal, for 30.1 gross MPH, and average dwell for rail-destined containers of less than one day. Until recently, container ships calling the Port of New York & New Jersey were mainly of the 5,000-8,000 TEU size class.

NASCENT Technology, a leading provider of gate automation and related technologies, has announced that it has been selected by TraPac, LLC. to provide the automated gate system and OCR portals for their gate expansion in the Port of Oakland, CA. NASCENT will provide 16 truck gate kiosks (pedestals), 12 Yard kiosks, and 2 kiosks to be used within the Driver’s Assistance area within the facility. Of the 16 gate lanes, 9 of these are new lanes that are being built as part of the gate expansion. In addition, NASCENT will also be providing and integrating with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Portals at both the In-bound and out-bound gate complexes.

“We fully expect to top last year’s container volume with another record year in 2016,” said Roger Guenther, Port of Houston Authority Executive Director, speaking to the Port Commission during its latest meeting. The Houston Port Authority said it has handled more than 1.6 million TEU through its container terminals to date this year, and it expects to maintain “strong growth” through the remainder of the year. All told, the port’s general cargo and container terminals handled more than 26 million tons of cargo through September.

APM Terminals has announced orders for 12 remote-controlled Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes and 32 Automated Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes (ARMGs) to equip the new five million TEU* APM Terminals MedPort Tangier facility now under construction at the Tanger-Med II port complex. The container terminal will be the second operated by APM Terminals at the Tanger-Med port complex designed to serve the newest Ultra-Large Container Ships (ULCS) with capacities up to 20,000 TEUs. APM Terminals MedPort Tangier will have up to 2,000 meters of quay length and increase the Tanger-Med complex’s overall capacity to over nine million TEUs. The facility complements APM Terminals Tangier which handled 1.7 million TEUs in 2015.

The first of ten ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at the APM Terminals Los Angeles Pier 400 facility was raised 33 feet (10 meters), making it the tallest port crane in North America and will be ready for vessel operations in the next few months. To create an even safer place to work, an additional feature of the upgraded cranes is the installation of Light Emitting Diode (LED) illumination, which will improve operator visibility and accuracy of the cranes’ Optical Character Recognition (OCR) programs. The cranes will use 60% less energy than conventional lighting systems. The crane heightening project is designed to prepare for regular Ultra-Large Container Vessel (ULCV) calls in the trans-Pacific trade lanes, carrying up to 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent containers (TEUs) per vessel.

The 10 STS Cranes will be the tallest in service at any American port; new LED lighting on the crane booms will increase visibility while significantly reducing energy consumption, as capabilities expand to meet the needs of larger vessels entering into th global fleet. Los Angeles, California- APM Terminals has signed a contract for the enlargement of 10 STS cranes, including the raising of the overall height, and extension of the crane boom,to accommodate Ultra-Large Container Ships (ULCS) of up to 20,000 TEU capacity. The contract was signed at a ceremony held at the APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles facility,the world’s largest proprietary container terminal…

APM Terminals, the port terminal operator arm of Danish shipping conglomerate AP Moller-Maersk A/S, has signed an agreement to enlarge 10 STS cranes at its Pier 400 facility in the Port of Los Angeles. The 10 STS cranes will be the tallest in service at any port in the United States, capable of handling ultra-large containerships with capacities of up to 20,000 TEUs, according to port terminal operator APM Terminals. The contract was signed at a ceremony held at the APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles facility,the world’s largest proprietary container terminal, by representatives of APM Terminals and Shanghai-based ZPMC, which has been selected to perform the crane modifications on the terminal’s existing Noell STS cranes.

Port security has too often lagged behind the demands of ever more vulnerable facilities with new technology often being deployed as an after-market add-on, rather than a homogenous part of the port’s day to day working. With new ports being developed on green or brown-field sites across the globe, it is now possible to design-in security from the planning stage. Dr. Mark Yong, Business Development Director for BMT, outlines the scale of the challenge and explains how port planners can help operational security. With the threat of international terrorism looming, port security remains of paramount importance, not only due to the direct threats to life and property, but for the potential economic damage that can arise from effects on supply chains.

Peel Ports, owners and operators of the Port of Liverpool, has achieved a major milestone in its multi-million investment programme to transform the port into Europe’s first semi-automated container terminal. The Navis N4 Terminal Operating System (TOS) and AutoGates are now live and fully operational following the construction and commissioning programmes. The new TOS and 10-lane AutoGates are the latest phase of new infrastructure in the company’s £300 million redevelopment project to expand and develop Liverpool2, consolidating its position as the UK’s largest transatlantic deep-sea port and container terminal. The £9.7 million information systems investment platform…

Peel Ports, owners and operators of the Port of Liverpool, has achieved a major milestone in its multi-million investment program to transform the port into Europe’s first semi-automated container terminal. The Navis N4 Terminal Operating System (TOS) and AutoGates are now live and fully operational following the construction and commissioning programs. The new TOS and 10-lane AutoGates are the latest phase of new infrastructure in the company’s $468 million redevelopment project to expand and develop Liverpool2…

APS Technology Group, a member of the ABB Group and a leading provider of optical character recognition (OCR) and process automation technology solutions for marine and intermodal container terminals, says that that International Transportation Service (ITS) has selected the APS Crane OCR solution for its terminal in Long Beach, Califormia. APS explains that ITS chose its solution to improve system accuracy, resource utilization and ultimately customer service of the terminal. The new Crane OCR system automates the process of identifying and verifying ISO containers loaded and discharged from dockside Ship-to-Shore (STS) gantry cranes with high accuracy, redundancy and unequalled reliability.

Peel Ports Group has committed £5.5 million to introducing advanced infrastructure and AutoGates technology as part of its ongoing investment at the Port of Liverpool. With the £300 million deepwater Liverpool2 expansion due to be open next year, this latest development is set to strengthen the port-side logistics required to support increased cargo volume. At present, a manual system is currently in place, requiring drivers to register at a site office, where they complete a form and wait for clearance before entering.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, will deliver Kalmar SmartLane automated gate system to Port of Liverpool, operated by Peel Ports Group. The new system will reduce waiting times and administration for hauliers, resulting in faster turnaround. The implementation is scheduled to be completed by early 2015. Investment in Kalmar SmartLane automated gate system is part of Peelport's £5.5m package of improvements to port infrastructure. With the £300m deep-water Liverpool2 expansion due to be open next year, this latest development is set to strengthen the port-side logistics required to support increased cargo volume. Kalmar SmarLane uses identification technologies to manage gate operations for trucks…

Navis announced that following extensive testing, Global Terminal (Global) became the first facility in North America to successfully upgrade to the Navis N4 terminal operating system (TOS) version 2.5 on March 3, 2014. Located in the Port of New York/New Jersey, the implementation supports the terminal’s semiautomation. Navis technology allows Global to increase capacity and productivity on the existing facility while minimizing environmental impact. In November 2011, the terminal was the first facility to successfully deploy Navis N4 in North America. Serving the most concentrated and affluent market on the U.S. East Coast, the latest implementation is noteworthy as the company ensured there were no disruptions to customers and stakeholders.

Process control and artificial vision technology specialist Orbita Ingenieria launched a new optical character recognition (OCR) system to automate freight container identification and damage inspection during vessel loading and unloading at port terminals. The Orbita CraneOCR system provides real-time ISO code recognition for 20ft, 40ft, 45ft and twin-20ft containers as they are moved to and from multiple lanes under and behind ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes. The company says…

Container terminal operator Grup TCB has selected process automation and engineering specialist Orbita Ingenieria to automate the truck gates at its flagship facility, TCB - Terminal de Contenidors de Barcelona. The contract will see Orbita supply its GateSuite optical character recognition (OCR) solution to automate 10 new entry and exit truck lanes being built as part of a major expansion program at the leading Spanish container terminal. Now underway, and due for completion this November…

The Buenaventura Container Terminal (TCBuen) in Colombia, part of Grup Maritim TCB, is the first terminal in Latin America to implement new OCR systems, Match Maker and DGPS on quay and yard cranes, as well as in processes of gate entry and exit. The investment amounts to $3.5 million. The TCBuen marine terminal implement the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) operations at the end of 2011, concluding the complete installation in December 2012 to optimise and allow real-time traceability of all containers entering and leaving the terminal.

Adds Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Gate Automation to its Crane and Harbor systems portfolio. ABB completed its acquisition of San Diego-based APS Technology Group (APS).  The acquisition adds optical character recognition (OCR) and gate automation capabilities to further improve safety, productivity and efficiency of port operations as containerized shipping grows worldwide. APS, an 11-year-old, 50-person company with offices in San Diego and Long Beach, Calif., will join ABB’s Crane and Harbor automation business. No major changes to staffing and product offerings are planned. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.