Kalmar Industries and Patrick Technology have hailed the world's first fully-automated straddle carrier terminal a success just six months after its opening at Patrick Stevedores' Fisherman Islands facility in Brisbane.

Kalmar's straddle carriers vice president, Ilkka Annala, said the automated straddle carriers had recorded an average of more than 20 crane lifts an hour, and a peak in the low 30s.

"As we expected, Patrick has confirmed there have been no accidents at the terminal, which will have a positive influence on maintenance costs," he said.

"This is thanks to anti-collision systems, ensuring that, should any unidentified object appear in the path of a machine, it will automatically come to a halt."

Patrick Technology technology director Graeme Nelmes said the automated system was very precise and efficient, and could lead to lower fuel consumption and less wear and tear on tyres and brakes.

"Since the straddles are not reliant on drivers, we can use them 24 hours a day, seven days a week if necessary, thus streamlining ship operations," he said.

"The terminal's performance has been outstanding for this stage of development and we are looking forward to further increasing the flexibility and performance of the vehicles over the next six months."

AUTOMATED SITE PARTICULARS:

- The Brisbane terminal is the culmination of more than six years' development by Kalmar and Patrick. It has five automated straddle carriers and two cranes.

- For safety, the terminal is enclosed by a 1.6 metre-high fence, monitored by closed-circuit cameras. If an intruder accesses the site, an alarm system activates and terminal operations stop immediately.

- When personnel enter the site, an airlock system in the reefer area ensures that, if someone is monitoring a reefer unit, an automated straddle cannot access the area.

- A special area was created for loading and unloading containers by truck. In this area, straddles are controlled by operators using a joystick remote control. Drivers must leave the area and close a gate behind them once they have backed their vehicles into the loading bay.

- While initial results had been excellent, functionality and control systems were still being refined, Kalmar said in a statement. Patrick and Kalmar believe it will be 2004 before a full-size automated terminal is in operation.