The Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) operated by Manila-based Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) has switched to fully automated gates that leverage on AI (artificial intelligence) technology deployed by its foreign equity partner DP World.
The AI-powered CARGOES AVA+ automated gate system (AGS) – developed by DP World Zodiac FZE – went live in BCT recently, paving the way for smarter and faster safer trade through Southern Luzon’s international gateway port.
This also marked another milestone for BCT as it officially became the first port in the Philippines to transition to an AGS backed by machine learning and the foremost site across DP World’s global terminal network to fully implement the system.
The system delivers integrated solutions for gate process automation, encompassing cameras, kiosk, and gate operating system. It uses intelligent cameras to capture information, such as container number, truck license plate, container door orientation, and seal condition among others as trucks pass through the portals. These data are processed through a video analytics server that uses deep learning to increase recognition and accuracy over time.
As the traditional hardware burden of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) setup is offloaded to deep learning software, CARGOES AVA+ is hardware agnostic and more cost-conscious compared to competing products.
The system automatically transmits data to BCT’s CARGOES TOS+ terminal operating system in real-time for seamless data processing. It eliminates manual entry errors and enhances access controls through automatic driver identification. All these features contribute to more efficient gate operations, higher gate capacity, and faster truck turnaround time.
Previously, BCT operated three lanes manually, with an individual operator needed at each gate. With the new system, all three lanes are now supervised remotely through the customized Gate Operating System, making the ingress and egress of trucks contactless and operationally safer.
“We are very pleased to implement another industry first through BCT as we continuously upgrade our capabilities to provide smarter, faster, and safer ports and logistics services to our customers anchored on game-changing technologies,” said DP World Philippines CEO and ATI director William Khoury said.
“This early, the AGS has boosted BCT’s efficiency, increased gate capacity, and improved stakeholder safety, which collective contribute to a more robust logistics sector, especially at this time of post-pandemic trade recovery.”
CARGOES AVA+ AGS is expected to soon include container damage detection and digital facial recognition functionalities as developers optimize its algorithms and dynamic features.
