UCM

Underground Container Mover

The Underground Container Mover, the future of port logistics

In the last decades the centre of gravity in our transport system has shifted to the transport of containers. Simultaneously the port of Antwerp, the most important economic hub in our country, has been suffering increasingly from various problems such as a shortage of berth capacity at the terminals, mobility problems in and around the port, aging infrastructure, environmental issues and so on.

To meet the market requirements with regard to container movements within the port and to find a solution for the aforementioned challenges, additional intraport transport facilities will have to be foreseen in addition of the existing transport infrastructure such as motorways, railways and inland waterways. Denys introduces the UCM project.

The underground container mover UCM - Port Loop is a new fully automated multimodal transport system which offers the ability to transfer containers most efficiently within the port area. The repositioning of containers in a green, flexible, reliable and safe way via UCM can become a flywheel effect to road, rail and barge container transport. The UCM – Port Loop offers a more structural solution to realize Flanders’ ambitions in terms of modal split and to respond more adequately to Europe’s expectations concerning greenhouse gas emissions.

The UCM – Port Loop is based upon three pillars:

• A minimalistic tunnel that connects strategic locations in a loop, bypassing current obstacles and create hubs in which various modes of transport can be concentrated and accessed.

• Smart and sustainable AEV’s (Autonomous Electrical Vehicles), which can easily enter and exit the loop, to realize the high throughput of containers.

• Where needed automated container stacking systems could be used which triple the current storage capacity per square meter, and allow for direct access to all containers without the need to reshuffle.

For more information, take a look at the video.