World’s first high bay container storing system to be ready for 2020 World Expo in Dubai
An international joint-venture formed by DP World and German industrial engineering specialists SMS group will transform the way that containers are handled in ports. A new and intelligent storing system will be applied for the first time ever at Jebel Ali Terminal 4, in time for the Dubai Expo 2020 world fair.
The High Bay Storage system was originally developed by SMS group subsidiary AMOVA for round the clock handling of metal coils that weigh as much as 50 tons each in racks as high as 50 metres. AMOVA is the first company to transfer this proven technology to the port industry.
Instead of stacking containers directly on top of each other, which has been global standard practice for decades, the system places each container in an individual rack compartment.
Containers are stored in an eleven-story rack, creating 200% more capacity than a conventional container terminal, or creating the same capacity in less than a third of the space.
Thanks to the rack’s design each container can be accessed without having to move another one, enabling 100% utilisation in a terminal yard. The system brings big gains in speed, energy efficiency, better safety and a major reduction in costs. Costs are further cut by the ability to shorten the time taken to load and unload mega-ships by as much as 30%.
“The application for container terminals is a direct result of our ‘New Horizon’ strategy, in which SMS transfers technology from the metallurgical sector to other industries,” affirmed Burkhard Dahmen, CEO of SMS Group.
