Proving reliable autonomy for the complete horizontal transport cycle in a container terminal

EUROGATE, one of Europe’s leading container terminal and logistics companies, and Em-botech, a premier provider of autonomous driving solutions, have, in cooperation with MAFI, a trusted manufacturer of terminal tractors, and ICT Group, a renowned European provider of industrial technology solutions, successfully completed a pilot project demonstrating the maturity and flexibility of Embotech’s Autonomous Tractor Solutions (ATS) at the EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven. The pro-ject passed all tests for 18 different use cases, confirming that the sys-tem meets demanding port-logistics requirements.

Key achievements include:
• Operations in mixed traffic and all-weather conditions
• Exact positioning under quay cranes – ensuring precise container handovers for waterside operations.
• Interaction with rail crane terminal
• Backwards driving with centimeter-level precision
• Localisation in GPS denied areas – safe & precise driving without reli-ance on satellite signals
• Integration with Terminal IT – seamless connection between Embo-tech’s Fleet Management System (FMS) and the Equipment Control System (ECS) as gateway to TOS

The tests were performed on a MAFI terminal tractor with a NextG drive by wire, demonstrating that Embotech’s ATS is vehicle-agnostic and adapta-ble to different truck platforms.

Voices from the Collaboration
“Working with Embotech, MAFI and ICT on this pilot underscores how au-tonomous driving can be deployed safely and effectively in our terminal environment,” said Henrik Landau, Project Manager of this Proof-of-Concept at EUROGATE. “Passing all tests confirms that autonomous tech-nology can integrate with our operations and IT systems while meeting the highest safety standards.”

Embotech’s Head of Business Development Niklas Thomas added: “This collaboration with EUROGATE allowed us to prove that our ATS can serve as the main mode of horizontal transport on both Landside and Waterside. The successful pilot is an important milestone on the path to scalable, au-tonomous terminal logistics.”