UNIKAI and AKQUINET complete digitisation project at O’Swaldkai in Port of Hamburg

UNIKAI, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, and IT service provider AKQUINET have announced the completion of the AKIDU digitisation project at O'Swaldkai multi-purpose terminal in the Port of Hamburg.

The research project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) under the IHATEC II programme.

UNIKAI is specialised in the handling of roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) and oversized project cargo, which include cranes, turbines and special vehicles.

These goods are difficult to standardise and could previously only be recorded digitally in a limited capacity.

UNIKAI is turning to digital solutions to ensure that planning and operational processes are both viable and sustainable, in light of the evolving land use at O’Swaldkai and the rising demands for efficiency.

The AKIDU project (automated, AI-integrated dispatching for universal terminals) addressed this issue with the development of practical IT tools for the digital recording, planning, and visualisation of traditional handling processes.

The project has yielded crucial results, which include forward-looking land use planning, intelligent storage space management, and a 3D visualisation interface of the terminal's real-time occupancy.

UNIKAI managing director Hartmut Wolberg said: “With the successful completion of AKIDU, we - have the knowledge, technologies and IT tools we need to future-proof our terminal processes. AKQUINET not only contributed its in-depth IT expertise to the project, but also a genuine understanding of our operations, which was a decisive factor in the project’s success.

“Thanks to the project results, we can now work on the next steps: standardised digital product data from our clients. With the help of this data, we can fully utilise the new systems in live operation.”

The project was initiated by UNIKAI as a sponsor together with AKQUINET and the Hamburg Informatics Technology Center (HITeC).

AKQUINET provided its CHESSCON software platform for the project, along with extensive experience in terminal simulation.

Working in collaboration with UNIKAI, the software was tailored to meet the unique needs of the break bulk and RoRo industry.

Concurrently, HITeC engineered an automated method for measuring various types of merchandise, which is a crucial component for digitally documenting special and project cargo.

AKQUINET managing director for ports & terminals Norbert Klettner said: “UNIKAI was an excellent partner during the funding project, as they assisted with the operational development of our digital twin in CHESSCON and the integration of additional cargo types.

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“Now we are looking forward to transferring this solution to production operations with UNIKAI.”

"UNIKAI and AKQUINET complete digitisation project at O’Swaldkai in Port of Hamburg" was originally created and published by Ship Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

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