Owner, Operator, Engineer: A Joint Approach for the Design, Construction, and Start-Up of the Long Beach Middle Harbor Automated Container Terminal

The planning, development, and start-up of North America’s most advanced and environmentally responsible “green” automated terminal required a level of team collaboration unlike that of previous large terminal project deliveries in the United States to date. The challenges crossed typical boundaries of engineering, technology, and equipment manufacturing, which, in the past, were not at issue with the design prerogatives of conventional marine container terminals. Unlike traditional port development whereby a terminal is built with discrete wharf, buildings, container yard, rail yard, and gate, the automated Middle Harbor terminal features are fully integrated and linked electronically. The terminal’s operating system manages all features of the facility’s equipment and productivity; therefore, during development no activity could be accomplished without the full integration of all features. This paper addresses the challenges unique to delivering a fully integrated automated container terminal facility that will handle in excess of 3 million, 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) when all phases are complete.