Deployment progresses toward one of Europe’s largest automated terminal tractor fleets

APM Terminals Maasvlakte II in the Port of Rotterdam, together with Embotech and Terberg Special Vehicles, has inaugurated five additional electric, automated terminal tractors (ATTs) at the terminal, marking the next step in the rollout of automated container transport.

The ATTs form the third batch delivered to the site. With this addition, the deployment now includes ten electric automated terminal tractors on site, as the partners move toward a planned fleet of 30 vehicles, expected to become one of the largest automated terminal tractor deployments in Europe.

The tractors recently completed Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and will begin Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) at Maasvlakte II in the coming months. The rollout builds on earlier validation work at the terminal. In November 2025, the first five electric automated terminal tractors successfully completed SAT under operational conditions at Maasvlakte II.

Testing confirmed that the automated system can execute core vehicle functions in mixed-traffic scenarios, with operations conducted under controlled conditions.

The validation included mixed-traffic driving, narrow-lane manoeuvring, lane changes, reverse parking at transfer points and endurance runs. The results demonstrate reliable operation in mixed-traffic scenarios within a controlled terminal environment.

In parallel, Embotech’s Autonomous Tractor Solution received safety certification from TÜV SÜD and CE marking in late 2025, confirming compliance with the European Machinery framework for autonomous terminal tractors.

“The testing at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II confirmed that the system performs reliably in daily terminal operations,” said Dr. Giorgio Corbellini, Chief Operating Officer at Embotech. “Each new batch moves the fleet closer to full operational deployment.”

The tractors are built on Terberg terminal tractor platforms and are factory-equipped with Embotech’s autonomy kit at Terberg’s production facility in Houten, the Netherlands. The vehicles operate with Level-4 autonomous driving technology designed for container terminal environments and enabling navigation in complex mixed-traffic environments with cm-level motion planning accuracy and obstacle detection across all weather and lighting conditions.

“Developing and manufacturing electric drive-by-wire terminal tractors conforming to the machine directive and validated for scalable autonomous operation requires close integration between the vehicle platform and the autonomous driving system,” said Remy de Bruijn at Terberg Special Vehicles.

“The machines delivered to APM Terminals Maasvlakte II were engineered specifically to provide for that integration.”

Once fully deployed, the fleet will transport containers between the Automated Rail Mounted Gantry cranes (ARMGs) on the landside and the railway terminal, operating alongside existing terminal equipment as part of APM Terminals Maasvlakte II’s ongoing capacity expansion.

Page 1 of 2“For us, the first step is to ensure that the full solution operates reliably within daily terminal operations.

Secondly, the key is to focus on the reliability of the automated vehicles,” said Marieke Frensch, Chief Technology Officer at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II. “The structured testing and certification work provides the foundation to integrate the fleet step by step as the terminal expands.”

The next phase will focus on operational integration as additional vehicles enter testing at the terminal.