TTS equips new APM Virginia terminal

Situated on 576 acres of land, the new container terminal is the third largest in the United States. It is capable of handling 1m teu annually, and has the potential to expand to handle a capacity of more than 2m teu. It will serve as an economic engine for new business in the region.

The TTS cassettes and translifters will be used to move containers between rail-mounted gantry crane stacks and the on-dock rail at the Portsmouth container terminal. Delivery has been supported by TTS’ local US operation, TTS Marine Inc., and TTS has an option to deliver further equipment in 2008–09. The use of cassettes and translifters will replace the conventional use of tractors and trailer sets common in most US terminal operations, according to the company.

The new technology is designed to keep workers and drivers safe, while expediting cargo movement through use of the newest, most advanced handling equipment. This will allow increased productivity, as drivers no longer have to get out of the cab to decouple from loads. This means that fewer trucks are needed to handle the same number of containers, causing less environmental damage and saving time and money.