DP World, a Dubai-based port operator, has developed a time and space-saving innovation, reports 'CNN'.
The technology, which is being tested in the port of Jebel Ali, aims to streamline, improve and automate the way containers are stored, transported and delivered.
As a rule, containers awaiting transport at major ports are stacked six or seven high on top of each other until they are taken to ships by cranes. As well as taking up a lot of space, this approach means that locating and picking up the right box can be time-consuming.
And it is precisely this constraint of space and time that DP World promises to solve.
"BoxBay" is a storage system that stacks 11-story containers on a steel structure. Normally, when containers are stacked on top of each other in ports, it is necessary to move those above to move those below.
According to DP World, BoxBay - developed in partnership with German logistics company Amova - allows cranes to pick up containers without the need to rearrange those on top.
The system is automated, but in case it fails for any reason, an engineer can take control of BoxBay from a purpose-built room near the port.
"We save about 60 to 70% of time," explained Patrick Bol, head of port expansion and special projects at DP World, in a statement to CNN.
According to the same official, "the initial costs are high," but the "value will be recovered," plus "the maintenance cost is much lower and requires fewer people to operate."
Peter de Langen, a professor of maritime economics at Copenhagen Business School with no connection to BoxBay acknowledges the advantages of the system, but points to some obstacles to wider adoption: "This technology is part of a broader shift to automation that reduces employment at terminals."
In the words of Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, President and CEO of DP World, the pilot project in Dubai is showing encouraging results in terms of time and space savings, and he anticipates that BoxBay will be installed in some of the busiest ports in the world.
"Our goal is to eliminate all inefficiencies in the industry," the executive justified.