John Mullen, CEO and MD of Asciano.

No match for Mother Nature, Australia’s rail freight and port operator Asciano has announced the mid-year launch date for its Port Botany redevelopment project will most likely be delayed.

The announcement follows the news that the majority of the 44 automated straddle carriers supplied by Cargotec Corporation for the project have sustained some damage during stormy seas en route to Australia from Europe.

John Mullen, CEO and managing director of Asciano, says while the news is disappointing, it in no way diminishes the company’s ability to extract the benefits outlined at the launch of the project.

"The development of the Knuckle site, the associated buildings and the access ramp are all progressing and we look forward to working with our customers to ensure the transition to an automated site is a seamless process for their businesses."

He adds that a further update will be made at the company’s interim results announcement on 18 February 2014.

The redevelopment project includes the installation of automated straddle carrier technology and the introduction of 10 m high, 65 T automated straddles and associated infrastructure and systems.

The AutoStrad technology and equipment, like that operating at Port of Brisbane since 2005, is part of Asciano’s $348 million investment to comprehensively redevelop and expand its container terminal at Port Botany.

Once built, the equipment will operate unmanned, using radar and laser guidance technology to navigate the straddles around the yard, moving and stacking containers from the quay line into the holding yards, onto vehicles and back to the quay cranes with pinpoint accuracy of better than 2 cm.