Control design for STS cranes

Modern container terminals are central hubs of the global supply chain, with steadily increasing demands for high handling capacities. An example is the Port of Shanghai, which tripled its container traffic from 14,557 TEU in 2004 to 47,303 TEU in 2022.

A key element in container handling is ship-to-shore cranes (STS cranes), responsible for loading and unloading container ships. Performance limitations of these cranes can cause bottlenecks and slow down terminal operations. Additionally, safety requirements for STS cranes are gaining importance, as accidents are often catastrophic. Examples include the deadly chlorine gas accident in Aqaba in 2022 and the crane collapse after a collision with a ship in Antwerp in 2019.

To meet performance and safety demands, new assistance systems are being introduced. However, full automation is challenging because handling containers remains complex due to limited visibility within a ship and twistlocks. Current automation solutions can only provide partial solutions and often consist of different systems from different vendors. Formal analysis of the safety and availability achieved by such systems is typically difficult. To address this, formal methods for safety-certified control design are being developed, ensuring desired system behavior.