Taiwan celebrates the newly built Terminal 7 at Kaohsiung Port with an official opening ceremony held by Evergreen Marine Corp. (EMC). The smart terminal creates new opportunities for the port and the provision of substantial enhancements to trade and is expected to drive ongoing growth of shipping related industries within southern Taiwan.
The event, that happened yesterday, was presided over by EMC’s Chairman, Y.I. Chang, and President, Eric Hsieh. A host of local government officials and distinguished guests were also in attendance.
The development of Terminal 7 was worked on by Evergreen Marine & Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC). The new facility is considered the most critical project that Taiwan’s shipping industry has undertaken in recent years. The construction of the port infrastructure was overseen by TIPC while the operating system and handling equipment such as ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes, automated rail-mounted gantry cranes (ARMGC), reach stackers and side loaders, were the responsibility of Evergreen.
Following the trend of the global container shipping industry and the operation demands of mega container ships, Terminal 7 is equipped with 5 berths with a draft of 18 meters, a quay length of 2,415 meters, and 24 STS gantry cranes, including 19 remote-controlled ones. To effectively improve the quayside operation efficiency, 16 gantry cranes are 55.5 meters high and can handle ultra-large container ships with 25 rows of containers on deck, are also included.
The five berths of Terminal 7 will be split into two phases. Berth S5, S4 and S3B are currently operational while Berth S1, S2 and S3A are scheduled to commence operations in July 2024. When all berths are fully operational, Terminal 7 will allow four 24,000 teu container ships and two feeder vessels to berth simultaneously. With a yard area of 149 hectares, the facility is able to store 89,238 teu of laden containers and 43,656 teu of empty containers.
As the first and largest fully-automated container terminal equipped with remote-controlled gantry cranes in Taiwan, Terminal 7 can significantly improve the efficiency of container handling operations. The terminal is expected to achieve an annual handling volume of 6.5 million teu.
“In line with the trend of the international shipping industry and the operational demand of mega container ships, Evergreen consolidated the cargo handling services in Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 of Kaohsiung Port and moved the operations to the advanced Terminal 7, removing the trucking demand to haul containers between the two separate terminals and cutting carbon emissions from such transportation. We made a significant investment in automatic and energy-saving equipment and also launched “Containerlink”, an online platform which improves service quality by integrating truck appointments for cargo delivery/pickup, container yard operation and digital payment systems.
By building the new automatic quayside operations and the unmanned yard in Terminal 7, we are able to provide more efficient, eco-friendly service to our customers and offer better working environment for local employees, taking yet another step toward our goal of sustainable operations.”
Y.I. Chang, EMC Chairman.
Evergreen has installed 24 STS gantry cranes, including 19 remote-controlled ones, 60 automated unmanned rail-mounted gantry cranes (ARMGC) and 24 smart gates in Terminal 7 with the goal of building a fully-automated container centre. 5G communication systems, optical fibre connectivity, and Internet of Things (IoT) information networks cover the entire site. Evergreen’s intelligent terminal operating system (EMCTOS), optical character recognition (OCR) technology and real-time power consumption monitoring system has also been implemented. With the introduction of these technologies, Evergreen can effectively coordinate port operations and improve the efficiency of container yard, making Terminal 7 of Kaohsiung Port one of the most advanced container hubs in the world.
Evergreen encourages pursuing corporate sustainability and building a green supply chain and as a result Terminal 7 utilises various smart technologies and automated equipment, all in line with global carbon reduction initiatives. An example of this would be that all gantry cranes at Terminal 7 are electric-powered and reach stackers and side loaders are equipped with high-standard, eco-friendly engines. To boost efficiency of the container yard, the introduction of Containerlink connects the data flow of container service chain in real time and enables customers to use the online platform to create truck appointments. By reducing vehicle turn-around time and eliminating the need for document printing, fuel consumption and carbon emissions are cut. These efforts enhance Evergreen’s continual commitment to protecting the environment, from sea to land and within their hardware and software.
Evergreen expects to continue these ongoing efforts and provide the best service to cargo owners and enhance market competitiveness. Along with these new capabilities at Terminal 7 in Kaohsiung Port, Evergreen Group currently operates dedicated terminals in Los Angeles, Oakland and Tacoma on the US West Coast; the Colon Container Terminal (CCT) in Panama; Tokyo and Osaka in Japan; Kaohsiung, Taichung and Taipei Port in Taiwan; and Laem Chabang in Thailand.
