Expanded facility deploys new technology to handle biggest ships Earlier this month, Global Container Terminals Bayonne handled the largest vessel to ever call at the port of New York and New Jersey, the Zim Tianjin at 10,060 TEUs. This milestone was emblematic of the advances that GCT is bringing to the port with its modernization of the Bayonne facility. It’s now been nine months since Global Container Terminals Inc. marked the grand opening of the expanded and semi-automated facility in Bayonne. The modernization effort, completed in the summer of 2014, was four years in the making, and transformed GCT Bayonne into a big ship-ready alternative to move cargo through the region, and beyond, faster and more efficiently. “As larger alliances continue to form and ocean carriers deploy ultra-large container ships to maximize slot economics,” said Louanne Wong, a GCT spokesperson, “the modernized GCT Bayonne ensures that the New York harbor is not bypassed, nor lose traffic to competing gateways on the U.S. East Coast.” The modernization brought to GCT Bayonne has been multifaceted. In May 2013 a 900 foot berth extension was completed, increasing the total dock face to 2,700 feet of contiguous berth, allowing the facility to handle the latest Suez Max vessels. Later, a streamlined truck gate complex equipped with optical character recognition and radio frequency identification tags was launched with the ability to handle over 5,000 transactions per day. Last May, Global became the first terminal in North America to launch Navis N4 version 2.5, a gate, vessel, and yard management system. The facility has also been commissioning new equipment on an ongoing basis, which now includes fleets of shuttle trucks from Terex and semiautomatic rail mounted gantries from Konecranes. GCT Bayonne is located outside the Bayonne Bridge, making it the closest container terminal to the New York/New Jersey harbor entrance, reducing transit time by two hours each way. Unrestricted by air and water draft, it is the only terminal in the harbor able to service the large vessels transiting the Suez and Panama canals. “GCT Bayonne is located in one of the densest consumer markets,” said Wong. “The GCT Bayonne expansion project was the first brownfield container terminal in the Western Hemisphere to be converted to semi-automation, the first terminal in North America to implement the Navis N4, the only big ship ready facility in the port of New York and New Jersey, and remains the only facility worldwide to implement a rail mounted gantry yard and a rubber tired gantry terminal on the same overall footprint.” At the core of the GCT Bayonne Expansion Project is a streamlined gate process. All gates are outfitted with optical character recognition software, radio frequency identification, and remote image inspections. “The result has been a faster, more efficient process for truckers while creating a safer work environment,” said Wong. “At 40 moves per hour, this faster turnaround time results in smoother operations and increased cost savings.” With a direct connection to the CSX and Norfolk Southern railways, the near-dock Greenville Rail Yard will play a key role in GCT Bayonne’s operations. “It is currently under development by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and will feature eight working tracks,” said Wong. GCT Bayonne’s expanded 2,700-foot berth and 50-foot draft is supported by dedicated ship-to-shore cranes, automated rail mounted gantries (RMGs), and manned rubber tired gantry (RTGs). “Our new equipment and streamlined processes make the facility more productive than any other terminal in the harbor,” said Wong. “The GCT Bayonne expansion doubled the footprint of the facility and added an interoperable RMG yard to an operating RTG yard. An antiquated RTG terminal was transformed to a state-of-the-art RMG facility, the most advanced facility on the continent. This has never been accomplished before.” The facility is configured so that once the containers are on land they can get on the road quickly and safely. “The landside RMG container stacks are positioned on an angle to facilitate easier approaches and departures for truckers,” said Wong. “While the RMGs are automated, all transactions are guided and monitored remotely by skilled ILA operators.” A centerpiece of GCT Bayonne’s technology improvements is the implementation of the latest version of the Navis gate, vessel, and yard management system. According to Navis, GCT Bayonne became the first facility in North America to successfully upgrade to the Navis N4 terminal operating system version 2.5 on March 3, 2014. The most recent version of Navis N4 supports Global’s new radio frequency identification and optical character recognition gate technologies and enables the commissioning of the fleet of semi-automated rail mounted gantry cranes. Both innovations improve safety for truckers and waterfront workers by keeping them out of harm’s way. “Global Terminal was designed with safety in mind,” said Wong. “The semi-automation of container handling combined with comprehensive training is a major contributor to improved terminal safety and the development of skilled opportunities for the workforce. Trucks will no longer need to drive through the terminal. Instead, they will stop directly at the stack to pick up and drop off containers.” GCT Bayonne’s truck appointment and pre-advice system is another example of the new technology deployed at GCT Bayonne. “These will provide greater predictability and certainty to the drayage community,” said Wong. “Terminal operators will be better able to plan equipment and labor availability to meet demand and the drayage community will have access to information on the best times to arrive. The results, proven in ports with appointment systems, are an improved and consistent turnaround time for trucks.” With its expansion complete, GCT Bayonne is prepared to handle the big ships now transiting the Panama and Suez canals. “In fact, when the expansion was completed in 2014, GCT Bayonne was the only facility in the New York harbor equipped to handle ships over 8,000 TEUs,” said Wong. “The completion of the expansion project enabled our customers and their new larger alliances to nearly double their vessel size, up-sizing from 5,500 TEUs, most recently to 10,060 TEUs. GCT Bayonne today serves the largest ships calling the port.”