Christian Lorenz
Press Officer
Telephone 0221 / 390 11 90
E-mail lorenzc(at)hgk.de
Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG
Press Office
Am Niehler Hafen 2
50735 Cologne
Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG launches an AI-driven digital initiative at Niehl Harbour
New gate system links rail, waterways and roads in real time
Cologne. Trimodal port terminals stand for efficiency, sustainability and security of supply. As hubs for the flow of goods, they are indispensable for industry, commerce and the general public because they effectively link the modes of transport: inland waterways, rail and road. With support from the ‘Digital Test Fields in Ports’ (DigiTest) funding programme run by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG (HGK) is now specifically developing the Niehl site further, utilising an AI-supported tracking system for the first time.
“Our trimodal terminal in Cologne-Niehl is one of the most important hubs for supply chains along the Rhine,” explains HGK Executive Board member Dr Jens-Albert Oppel (COO). “In order to meet our customers’ future requirements in terms of reliability, flexibility and efficiency even more effectively, transport and handling processes must be comprehensively digitised.” The aim is to use the intelligent tracking system, realised through the “DigiTest” funding, to increase the productivity of handling processes at the port and, via the central database, to create seamless, efficient integration of the three modes of transport: inland waterways, rail and road.
Intelligent system records data on all incoming and outgoing cargo units
An artificial intelligence-based system records, consolidates and autonomously processes all data relating to ships, trains and lorries, as well as the cargo units they transport, such as containers. This digital initiative complements the port development plan for Niehl Harbour. More than 80 cameras and sensors at 18 locations across the port site – the so-called gates – capture all relevant information.
This is how the system works: at the ‘Truck Gates’, incoming and outgoing lorries, together with the cargo units they are transporting, are recorded. The previously analogue processing of lorries will therefore be phased out in future. The “train gates” record all relevant information about incoming trains as early as on the route to the port, such as the exact order of the wagons, including the containers and semi-trailers being transported. With the “crane gates”, each crane lift is automatically and in real time cross-checked against the ships’ loading lists. And the “port gates” autonomously process the arrivals and departures of inland waterway vessels.
“Following implementation at Niehl Port, all incoming and outgoing traffic and goods flows will be recorded autonomously and using AI within a unified system. The central data hub offers enormous potential for optimising port operations and forms the basis for synergies,” says HGK project manager Thomas Hermanns. This will coordinate, synchronise and optimise cargo handling – regardless of whether the goods arrive by rail, waterway or road. The technology enables seamless documentation of container movements and provides interfaces to other systems. This forms the starting point for innovations, new collaborations and the development of intelligent applications within the cargo handling process.
Construction work is required to implement the project: at Niehl Harbour, around 5,000 metres of cable have already been laid through underground cable ducts – with further kilometres to follow before the project is completed at the end of March. The entrances and exits for lorries have been structurally adapted and state-of-the-art network technology with fibre-optic connections has been installed.
Through the “DigiTest” funding programme, the Federal Ministry of Transport is not only providing financial support for the development of digital infrastructure at Niehl Harbour, but is also laying the foundations for Logistics 4.0 innovations under real-world conditions.
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