{"id":3199,"date":"2026-02-24T03:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T03:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/3199\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T03:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T03:04:19","slug":"port-of-antwerp-bruges-launches-autonomous-electric-shuttle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/3199\/","title":{"rendered":"Port of Antwerp-Bruges launches autonomous electric shuttle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

The autonomous shuttle is designed for efficient short-distance transfers between key locations like warehouses, stacks, and gates. Credit: Port of Antwerp-Bruges.<\/p>\n

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium has unveiled an autonomous electric shuttle at the Medrepair Terminal, aimed at improving intra-terminal container transport within the port.<\/p>\n

This initiative, developed in collaboration with technology partners Akkodis, VDL, and Medrepair, is part of the PIONEERS project, which is funded by the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 programme.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ Discover B2B Marketing That Performs <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCombine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFind out more <\/a><\/p>\n

A live demonstration showcased the shuttle\u2019s capabilities to stakeholders from the logistics and maritime sectors.<\/p>\n

This demonstration focused on the shuttle\u2019s integration within a functioning port terminal, providing operational insights that will guide future scaling and commercial implementation.<\/p>\n

The autonomous shuttle underwent a successful technical validation earlier this year in Breda, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

The shuttle is designed to facilitate short-distance transfers between critical areas such as warehouses, stacks, and gates, thereby reducing dependence on traditional diesel vehicles and manual handling.<\/p>\n

It provides terminal operators and logistics firms with a modular and scalable solution that supports Logistics as a Service (LaaS) strategies. It can help reduce turnaround times, address labour constraints, and improve yard throughput.<\/p>\n

The vehicle is equipped with advanced navigation software and high-resolution sensors, allowing it to autonomously navigate a set route while providing operational visibility through a central human-machine interface (HMI).<\/p>\n

Port and Economy City of Antwerp vice mayor and Antwerp-Bruges Port board president Johan Klaps said: \u201cThe autonomous, electric container shuttle that is driving on an active terminal for the first time today shows perfectly how technology and sustainability can go hand in hand. We are therefore particularly proud to actively contribute to this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Constructed on the VDL 3-axle MTT platform, the shuttle features a 6\u00d74 electric transmission and a dynamic axle system tailored for terminal operations. This system ensures reliable performance across various loads and terrains.<\/p>\n

Key specifications of the shuttle include a maximum speed of 15km\/h, an operational range of eight hours on a single battery charge, and a gross battery capacity of 144kWh.<\/p>\n

The vehicle has an empty weight of 15,000kg and can carry a maximum payload of 48,000kg, bringing its total weight to 63,000kg.<\/p>\n

The shuttle measures 2.55m in width, with a chassis height of 1.07m and a length of 12.56m, comparable to standard trucks.<\/p>\n

Medrepair Europe director Daniel Tocantins said: \u201cThe productivity of a terminal depends on how smoothly goods can flow from one touchpoint to another.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy automating this process with zero-emission vehicles, we\u2019re introducing a solution that not only supports sustainability goals, but also delivers tangible gains in speed, reliability, and cost-efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

In December 2024, Damen Shipyards Group delivered six RSD Tugs 2513<\/a> to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, contributing to the port\u2019s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and supporting its fleet renewal efforts.<\/p>\n

\"Email<\/p>\n

\n Sign up for our daily news round-up!
\n Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The autonomous shuttle is designed for efficient short-distance transfers between key locations like warehouses, stacks, and gates. Credit:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[19,2671,86,2672,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-3199","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-antwerp","8":"tag-antwerp","9":"tag-ports","10":"tag-technology","11":"tag-terminals-and-shipyards","12":"tag-transport-infrastructure"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}