DP World has carried out a self-driving vehicle trial in mixed traffic at its busy Antwerp Gateway terminal in Belgium. The demonstration, which used a vehicle developed by VDL Automated Vehicles, was conducted as part of the Pioneers innovation program at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
During the demonstration, the autonomous vehicle operated within the active terminal environment, transporting empty containers across the yard between operational buffer areas and storage blocks. The self-driving electric vehicle operated on a predefined route and interacted with existing terminal traffic, including trucks and internal vehicles.
The demonstration was preceded by a preparation phase where the vehicle carried out several test runs on the terminal to validate the setup and operating conditions ahead of the live event. The trial enabled DP World Antwerp and its partners to observe autonomous transportation technology in live operations and gain practical insights.
Edi Cioran, CEO DP World Antwerp, said, “Innovation at terminal level starts with understanding how new technologies behave in real operational situations. This demonstration gives us the opportunity to learn, together with our partners, from a live environment.”
Following the trial, the team will now review operational findings, with insights shared across the program’s consortium and within DP World globally.
Led by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the Pioneers innovation program brings together ports, terminal operators, technology providers and public partners to explore innovations in port operations.
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