ABB Waterside Automation: How AI Is Automating Quay Crane Container Handling

The platform integrates:

• Sensor data from crane systems and the terminal
• AI-based perception and decision systems
• Real-time operational data and crane controls

Together, these elements allow the crane to execute container handling cycles more autonomously while maintaining consistent execution and safety.

ABB describes the technology as a step toward autonomous quay crane operations, gradually reducing reliance on manual driving while keeping operators in a supervisory role.

How AI Automates Container Lifting and Positioning

Handling containers above a ship is complicated because conditions constantly change: vessel structures, hatch covers, cell guides, and container stacks all introduce variability.

Waterside Automation addresses this by combining sensor fusion, AI perception, and integrated crane control systems.

Key capabilities include:

• Sensor fusion: Multiple sensors provide data about the crane’s surroundings and container positions.
• AI-based object recognition: Machine vision and analytics help identify containers and relevant objects in the operating environment.
• Real-time control decisions: Automation systems use incoming data to guide the crane’s motion during lifting, lowering, and positioning.

Instead of relying entirely on manual judgment from a crane cab, the system interprets the environment digitally and executes movements based on data-driven control logic.

Human operators remain involved but shift from direct manipulation to supervision and exception handling when unusual situations occur.

Why Quay Crane Operations Have Been a Bottleneck

Container terminals have widely automated landside operations such as stacking cranes, automated vehicles, and gate systems. However, the waterside crane move over the vessel has historically been difficult to automate.

The main challenges include:

• Constantly changing vessel configurations
• Container stowage variability
• Ship structures and hatch covers
• Lashing operations and other manual tasks

Because of this complexity, operators traditionally control each quay crane continuously during container moves. ABB identifies this as a key efficiency bottleneck in modern container terminals.

Automating these operations opens the door to more consistent crane performance and improved terminal throughput.

Operational Benefits for Container Terminals

Remote Supervision of Multiple Cranes

Automation allows operators to supervise crane operations from a centralized control room rather than sitting in each crane. Most of the cycle runs automatically, and the operator intervenes only when needed.

This approach improves safety, working conditions, and productivity because operators can manage equipment from a controlled environment.

Quay Crane Pooling

Waterside Automation also allows decoupling operators from individual cranes. Instead of assigning one operator per crane, terminals can manage several cranes with a smaller group of supervisors and focus attention where exceptions occur.

This flexibility helps terminals respond to changing workloads and staffing needs.

Exception Handling

Modern terminal automation is increasingly built around exception-based operations: automated systems perform routine work while humans step in when conditions fall outside normal parameters.

This model increases consistency and allows automation systems to run continuously while operators focus on problem-solving.

OCR-Based Container Identification and Stowage Verification

ABB’s broader ecosystem includes Crane OCR systems and the QuayPro module, which automatically identify containers and verify their stowage positions in real time.

Traditionally, dock clerks manually recorded container movements around the vessel. OCR systems automate this process and digitally confirm container locations against stowage plans.

Digital Work Instructions

With automated container recognition and stowage tracking, terminals can generate digital instructions for crane operators and automation systems, improving coordination and reducing manual paperwork.

These data-driven workflows also improve data quality and operational visibility across the terminal.

Built on ABB’s Global Port Automation Experience

Waterside Automation is not a standalone product but an evolution of ABB’s long-running container terminal automation portfolio.

Across ports worldwide, ABB has delivered automation technologies including:

• Ship‑to‑shore crane automation
• Remote crane operation systems
• Automated stacking crane solutions
• OCR container identification platforms

The company reports automation deployments across more than 1,000 cranes globally, providing operational experience that informs the design of newer AI-driven systems.

This installed base helps ABB extend automation deeper into terminal operations—from yard logistics all the way to the waterside crane cycle.

A Step Toward Autonomous Container Terminals

Waterside Automation represents a shift in how quay cranes are operated. Instead of machines controlled continuously by individual operators, cranes can become automated resources supervised by a control room team.

If widely adopted, this model could allow terminals to:

• increase crane productivity and consistency
• reduce operator fatigue and improve safety
• manage fleets of cranes more flexibly
• move closer to fully autonomous container terminal operations

For an industry handling most of the world’s traded goods, solving the quay crane bottleneck could have significant effects on global logistics efficiency.