The Port of Rotterdam Authority has decided to temporarily suspend the tender procedure for unmanned transport on the Container Exchange Route (CER), claiming too many risks and uncertainties in the development of a sufficiently competitive product.
The fact that the tendering procedure has now been suspended does not mean that there is no suitable party who can supply the required technology, the port announced.
The tender procedure did produce a technically feasible proposal from a supplier of autonomous vehicles. However, the complexity of the project does not relate solely to what is technically possible. The operational and financial risks for the complete container exchange implementation must also be acceptable,
…the port explained.
Launched in 2018, the Container Exchange Route project aimed to make the port’s container facilities as efficient as possible, based on a dedicated infrastructure, common logistics agreements and ICT systems that interconnect all the port’s container facilities.
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In the coming months, the port authority will consult with parties about how the CER can be used for manned container transport.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority believes that there are openings and prospects for fully autonomous transport from stack to stack in the future and it will continue to consult with potential suppliers and stakeholders to see how to achieve that goal in due course.
