CorporationRivergate: duisport and VITRONIC present solution for automatic container identification

VITRONIC is digitalizing container terminals and expanding its product portfolio with this solution: While the use of "Optical Character Recognition" (OCR) gates on the rail and road sides in the Port of Duisburg has already been realized, there was previously no solution for the waterside. Together with duisport, the world's largest inland port, VITRONIC developed and successfully tested the "Rivergate" solution on two cranes within just 15 months. This has created a sustainable solution to digitally record a container's ID during loading and unloading of an inland vessel within seconds and with a recognition rate of almost 100 percent, and to match it with the loading list.

In combination with the "Crane Management System" (CMS) from POLO KNOW-HOW, it is possible to avoid misloading: in the event of a so-called "misspicking", the spreader can no longer be released. At the same time, the system can recognize the integrity of customs seals and any damage to the container. This optimizes existing processes in daily operations and further drives the digitalization of the world's largest inland port.

Rivergate will initially be used at the Trimodal Terminal (D3T) in Duisburg-Rheinhausen. Installation of the specially developed camera systems enables efficient and transparent documentation and real-time recording of the container's condition — even at night and in poor weather conditions.

As the container passes under the crane, the system uses intelligent camera sensors to capture the condition of the cargo unit in high-resolution images and immediately makes the data available to both the Crane Management System and the Terminal Operation System. This way, the container number can be matched with the loading list to prevent misloading.

Rivergate not only enables important process optimization, but is also another milestone in the digitalization of the Port of Duisburg. This provides significant added value for duisport and the entire network of customers and partners at the central logistics hub in the heart of Europe.

“When unloading containers, crane operators rarely have the chance to inspect their condition. Once they are set down, the cargo unit is considered to be in perfect condition—even if it was already damaged. Thanks to Rivergate, we can now provide conclusive evidence of the container's condition and document its stay at the terminal seamlessly,” says Prof. Thomas Schlipköther, duisport Board Member for Technology and Operations, who has been committed to the digitalization of port terminals for many years and has initiated numerous projects in this area.