Muuga CT (Estonia)

Terminal Specifications

• Container Turnover: 131 thousand TEUs in 2009

• Number of Mooring Sites: 3 Universal Combined Mooring Sites

• Mooring Length: 200 m each • Sea Depth at Mooring Sites: 12.5 m

• Maximum Allowed Vessel Capacity: 3 thousand TEUs

• Number of Workers: 150 people • Width of Stationary and Lifting Ramps: 25 m and 30 m, respectively

• Container Vessel Processing Rate: 800-960 containers per day (35-40 containers per hour)

• Covered Warehouse Operating Area: 4 thousand sq. m

• Open Warehouse Operating Area: 11.5 ha

• Refrigerator Zone Capacity: 144 containers

• Railroad line capacity: up to 30 cars

Equipment

• 2 STS Konecranes of up to 40 t hoisting capacity

• 1 Liebherr LHM-400 mobile crane of 104 t hoisting capacity

• 3 KALMAR RTG cranes of 40 t hoisting capacity each

• 4 KALMAR Shuttle Carriers of 40 t hoisting capacity

• 7 VALMET, KALMAR and SMV loaders of 10 to 43 t hoisting capacity

• 7 Kalmar (SISU) trucks

• BUISCAR mutlitrailers and mafi-trailers

• Minor machinery of 1.5 to 3 t hoisting capacity

Pre-Deployment State

The Muuga CT (Muuga Container Terminal) is a multifunctional container terminal located in a customs-free zone and providing its services at the sea port of Мuuga, Estonia, which remains almost completely ice-free in the winter season.

The terminals has long-term contracts with major shipping companies, such as TECO, UniFeeder, MSC, Maersk, TeamLines, Freselle, etc.

Increasing the container transshipment volumes and improving the quality of customer servicing are among the priorities at the terminal. To this end, a special Program for 2005-2015 Development of the Muuga CT was approved in 2004.

The terminal's administration makes sure to implement the program by speeding up and optimizing the container processing, by upgrading the terminal technology processes and by using new technologies and equipment.

Important terminal operations, such as eliminating container losses, optimizing container search mechanisms, monitoring the terminal in real time, etc., need to be handled quickly and smoothly. To be able to perform these tasks, Muuga CT decided to introduce a comprehensive management system.

Solution

The need for the management system was pressing not only for the terminal itself but also for strategic line agents that were interested too, as participants of the whole process, in a more coordinated terminal operation.

After a requirements specification to a container terminal management system was accurately defined, several suppliers of matching systems were found. Finally, the Muuga CT's executive officers chose SOLVO, because it was well-known as a reliable partner and as a supplier of solutions for major enterprises.

Solvo.CTMS was deployed at the Muuga CT in 2005. It includes a number of components, such as the container site management system, a system for data exchange between technology process participants in real time using mobile radio terminals connected to an 802.11 wireless network.

As a result, all container processing operations were automated, while the terminal's capacity and efficiency were increased. For example, over 150 thousand TEUs were processed in 2006, and 181 thousand TEUs in 2008.

The advanced technology used to manage the terminal made it more useful and convenient for both existing clients and potential customers.

Moreover, the deployment of Solvo.CTMS at the Muuga CT led to the emergence of some other new features, such as redesigned graphic user interfaces, extended data selections, advanced analytics tools, etc.

System Development

In 2009, a new phase in the project was completed to further develop the Solvo.CTMS system at the Muuga CT. For example, the system was embedded with a new module for generating and editing the terminal's graphic layout and topology, in addition to updated dispatcher interfaces. The module shows all necessary visual information about the terminal's topology, free space availability, containers and workers location, etc.

All information is provided as a layout diagram displaying the scalable view of the terminal from above. Different filters can be used to make a detailed view of the situation at the terminal. Selected containers can be color marked. Terminal zones can be viewed as tabs for convenient observing, editing or comparing.

A special option is designed to check the topology for possible errors, such as intersections, crossovers, etc.

A flexible search mechanism allows the user to select containers by parameters, such as length, storage cell, vessel type, etc.

The list of containers provides detailed information about each container, including id number, ISO, type, length, weight, processing direction (loading to a car or unloading to the terminal), etc. In addition, information about cargoes, their owners and other transportation-related information can be viewed.

Plans for Future

The Solvo.CTMS deployed at the Muuga CT is planned to undergo further development with the expansion of the terminal and the emergence of new operation sites and equipment.

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