Unikai and Akquinet digitalise Hamburg terminal

The project, funded by the German government under the IHATEC II programme, addresses the long-standing challenge of digitally managing complex, oversized cargo.

“With the successful completion of AKIDU, we have the knowledge, technologies and IT tools we need to future-proof our terminal processes,” said Hartmut Wolberg, managing director of Unikai.

“Thanks to the project results, we can now work on the next steps – standardised digital product data from our clients.”

Unikqi, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, specialises in RoRo and project cargo such as cranes and turbines – goods that have traditionally resisted standardisation and digital integration.

With land use pressures and efficiency demands rising, the AKIDU project (Automated, AI-Integrated Dispatching for Universal Terminals) has delivered tools to make cargo planning and yard operations more efficient and transparent.

Key project outcomes include predictive land use planning, AI-powered storage space management and 3D real-time terminal visualisation.

Norbert Klettner, managing director for ports & terminals at Akquinet, said: “Now we are looking forward to transferring this solution to production operations with Unikai.”

Akquinet provided its CHESSCON simulation platform and collaborated closely with Unikai and the Hamburg Informatics Technology Center, which developed a key process for digitally measuring non-standard cargo.