ICTSI’s Melbourne terminal: World’s first fully automated container port

Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), being operated by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) at the Port of Melbourne, Australia, boasts of being the first fully automated international container handling facility in the world.

“VICT was designed, and is now fully equipped, to be fully automated, and the most advanced container terminal in the world,” said ICTSI Chairman Enrique K. Razon Jr. in a statement.

Razon said “most of the US$450 million invested in VICT went to cuttingedge technology and equipment, and the highest standards of port safety.”

“So we can rightly claim that VICT is the very first terminal in Australia that can accommodate the largest NeoPanamax container ships. For the time being, we can rightly claim that our Melbourne terminal is the most automated terminal in the world,” he added.

Melbourne’s newest container terminal, VICT, came about as part of the Port of Melbourne’s Port Capacity Project, a Victorian state government initiative to redevelop the Webb Dock East area, and meet increasing trade volumes in Melbourne, Australia’s largest maritime hub for containerized cargo.

A public-private partnership (PPP) for a 26-year concession between ICTSI / VICT and the Port of Melbourne Corp. was signed in May, 2014.

“VICT was completed below budget and four months ahead of schedule. This has never been achieved in the port industry for 100 percent automated terminal. It is especially noteworthy when considering the unprecedented complexity of the civil works requirements, along with the level of pioneering automation built right into the design,” said Razon.

In delivering Australia’s first fully automated container facility, ICTSI tapped leading suppliers and service providers. It features cutting-edge and top of the line port equipment and technology.

“For the first time anywhere in the world, a terminal has been created that seamlessly uses automated operations from ship to shore. Integration was key to this innovation — putting all these technologies together. That’s why VICT is the most advanced contained terminal in the world,” explained ICTSI Senior Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific region Christian R. Gonzalez.

He added that, “everything about VICT, from its technology to its location and layout, has been designed to deliver unprecedented efficiency, safety, sustainability and security.”