MITSUI E&S Co., Ltd, Tomakomai Kuribayashi Transportation Co., Ltd., and Hino Motors, Ltd. conducted a demonstration experiment for "Technological development of advanced trailer operation in container yard"

MITSUI E&S Co., Ltd.
Tomakomai Kuribayashi Transportation Co., Ltd.
Hino Motors, Ltd.

MITSUI E&S Co., Ltd.(Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takeyuki Takahashi; hereinafter "MITSUI E&S") together with Tomakomai Kuribayashi Transportation Co., Ltd. (Headquarters : Tomakomai, Hokkaido; President: Hidemitsu Kuribayashi ; hereinafter " Tomakomai Kuribayashi Transportation ") and Hino Motors, Ltd.(Headquarters: Hino City, Tokyo ; President: Satoshi Ogiso; hereinafter " Hino Motors ") conducted a demonstration experiment at Tomakomai International Container Terminal from January 11th to 13th, 2025, under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Port Technology Development Program, "Technical Development for Advanced Operation of Landing Trailers in Container Yards.

In the port industry, in addition to the worsening labor shortage stemming from the 2024 (logistics) problem, the aging of workers at Tomakomai Port and other regional ports has made it necessary to improve the working environment, to enhance safety, and to secure young workers who will lead the next generation.
To solve these issues, Tomakomai Kuribayashi Transportation, which handles port logistics at the Port of Tomakomai, Hino Motors, which provides vehicles, and MITSUI E&S, which builds Terminal Operation Systems (TOS), conducted a demonstration experiment to test the sophistication of trailer operations that transport containers unloaded from ships to storage locations, and from storage locations to loading locations.
Currently, drivers operate vehicles based on paper instructions at ports, but in the demonstration experiment, trailers with driver assistance functions^*1 operate based on work instructions from the terminal operation system^*2, reducing the workload of drivers and allowing them to concentrate on ensuring safety while driving. This sophisticated operation test was conducted in actual operations, and the availability and usefulness of the developed technology was confirmed through verification of the following items.

Verification details
-Data linkage between TOS, vehicle control system and vehicles.
-Positive arrival and departure linkage to port equipment such as gantry (ship-to-shore) cranes and RTGs ^*3
-Operation in line with actual cargo handling, such as back-and-forth adjustment of vehicles by control devices from outside the vehicle and turning to accommodate container direction (front/door).

Data linkage among CTMS, vehicle control system and vehicles

Correct arrival and departure linkage to port equipment

Vehicles with driver assistance functions
Based on the "HINO PROFIA" heavy-duty truck, the vehicles are equipped with GNSS data, multiple 3D-LiDAR, white line detection cameras and other driver assistance functions. The combined use of these technologies has made it possible to determine its own position and to control the correct arrival and departure at port equipment, even in the ever-changing environment of a container terminal.

Vehicles with driver assistance

Movie "Technological development of advanced trailer operation in container yard"
(Link to Hino Motors official YouTube channel https://youtu.be/GxlrgkMARHY）


While reviewing the issues identified through this demonstration, we will continue to promote future technological development in 2025.

*1 - The function to perform all operations under specified conditions. The driver monitors the surrounding area for safety and responds appropriately to system alerts in the event of an abnormality.
*2 - The system to manage the loading and unloading of containers on ships and container inventory status in container yards,
*3 - Gate-shaped crane for loading and unloading containers in a container yard.

Contact details for this Press Release:
MITSUI E&S Co., Ltd. Internal Control Sect. Corporate Planning Dept.
TEL　+81-3-3544-3147