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HHLA tests drones and autonomous trucks for container shipping

German logistics and transport company Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) and the Fraunhofer Maritime Logistics Center are considering using drones to airlift containers over the port of Hamburg, according to Angela Titzrath, chair of the HHLA’s executive board. The port is already gearing up for a future with autonomous trucks and a hyperloop that transports containers at the speed of sound.

Unmanned vehicles are already in the air!

The number of aircraft used in logistics is increasing every year. Logistics companies such as Amazon, DHL and UPS are experimenting with the use of drones in air travel and warehouse logistics. “There are already drones that can efficiently airlift empty containers,” says Jan Bovermann, head of corporate development, who is responsible for the digitalization of logistics at HHLA. Drones are also already widely used at HHLA for routine checks and maintenance. HHLA even invested in Hamburg-based startup Spherie in 2018 to stay ahead of the curve. The new company specializes in the development and use of drones.
This year has seen a breakthrough: the large drones being tested by HHLA can already airlift cargo weighing up to two tons! The company recently carried out trials at the Fraunhofer Maritime Logistics Center in Hamburg. The economic feasibility of their use will be assessed at the next stage.

Hamburg TruckPilot: driver on safety net

Meanwhile, the promising partnership project Hamburg TruckPilot, developed by HHLA and MAN Truck & Bus, too, is gaining momentum: it is being tested on the use of autonomous trucks. The first prototypes were recently tested at the Altenwerder container terminal and on a 70 km stretch of the A7 motorway.

The aim of the partnership between MAN and HHLA is to analyze and verify all the requirements needed to integrate autonomous trucks into the automatic container handling process. This project is divided into three phases. At the preparatory stage, completed at the end of 2018, the technical conditions of the project were determined. Prototype testing runs from January 2019 to June 2020.

According to HHLA experts, automated driving features will provide assistance and support to truck drivers during their work. For example, the driver will be able to process cargo documents during a fully automated motorway trip, or simply relax while watching the systems work.

HHLA is actively promoting digitalization at the Port of Hamburg, constantly investing in the quality and profitability of its core business, identifying and developing innovative, especially digital, areas. The Hamburg TruckPilot project is pivotal to the city’s strategy ahead of the 28th ITS World Congress for Intelligent Transport Systems, which Hamburg is hosting from 10 to 14 October 2021.

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG is a German logistics and transport company. The company was founded in 1885 in Hamburg under the name Hamburger Freihafen-Lagerhaus-Gesellschaft. The company operates three container terminals in the port of Hamburg: Altenwerder, Burchardkai, Tollerort. The company has invested more than $150 million in the development and modernization of its container terminal in Odessa (Ukraine), making it the most modern terminal in the country. In 2018, the company successfully integrated the recently acquired largest Estonian terminal operator TK Estonia AS. HHLA also released financial results for 2018, which turned out to be a very successful company with 3.1% growth.

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