Container Cargo Transfer System

Abstract

A platform container transfer terminal ( 10 ) functions as an efficient hub port. Sea Point™ Transfer station modules ( 21, 22, 23 ) can be moved intact across oceans for rapid erection in remote or strategic locations to provide high speed loading and unloading of large container vessels ( 31, 32 ) to lighters or feeder vessels ( 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 ) and/or to facilities adjacent. A gantry crane ( 510 ) combined with one or more rotating boom cranes ( 11, 12, 17, 18 ) increases cargo productivity economically. There can be two luffing boom cranes attached to the gantry and two slewing boom cranes attached to the gantry. One can retrofit an existing gantry by attaching a boom crane and frame to a ship-to-shore gantry.

1 . A method of transporting goods, comprising:
 providing a platform;   providing cranes on the platform;   providing bi-directional draw bar multi-trailers for receiving containers from the cranes and delivering containers to the cranes;   providing yard tractors with automatic hitches for moving the trailers;   transferring goods between an ocean-going vessel and the trailers and barges or other shallower-draft feeder vessels using the cranes on the platform to unload the ocean-going vessel by transferring its containers to the trailers and the barges or other shallower-draft feeder vessels and vice versa;   using the yard tractors with automatic hitches to move the trailers.   
     
     
         2 - 73 . (canceled) 
     
     
         74 . A system for transshipping containerized cargo, comprising:
 a transshipping platform;   a plurality of cranes on the transshipping platform for transferring goods between an ocean-going vessel and a barge or other shallower-draft feeder vessel using the cranes on the transshipping platform, the cranes including a gantry crane with trolleys and hatch storage;   bi-directional draw bar multi-trailers for receiving containers from the cranes and delivering containers to the cranes; and   yard tractors with automatic hitches for moving the trailers.   
     
     
         75 . A method of transporting goods, comprising:
 providing the system of  claim 74 ;   transferring goods between an ocean-going vessel and barges or other shallower-draft feeder vessels using the cranes to unload the ocean-going vessel by transferring its containers to the trailers and then to the barges or other shallower-draft feeder vessels, and vice versa.   
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75 , further comprising using the yard tractors with automatic hitches to move the trailers. 
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the platform is a jack-up barge. 
     
     
         78 . A method of transferring containers from a ship to barges positioned nearby, comprising:
 providing a gantry crane on a gantry crane platform;   providing a plurality of cranes on a multi-purpose container platform near the gantry crane platform;   positioning the ship near the gantry crane platform and the multi-purpose container platform;   positioning the barges near the gantry crane platform and the multi-purpose container platform;   selecting containers from the ship in the optimal order for direct placement into the barges positioned nearby; and   using the cranes to move the containers from the ships to the barges.   
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 78 , wherein the order of the containers is selected using a dynamic system that continuously measures actual conditions such as equipment slow downs, breakdowns or resource overloads that are creating temporary system bottlenecks and directs the equipment to optimize operations by adjusting the next best pick for the container to be selected. 
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein the dynamic system evaluates container dimensions, weight, type, hazardous cargo, oversize and reefer containers during the sorting into the individual barges. 
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein the dynamic system sorts containers into the correct destination barge while maintaining the barge trim and balance. 
     
     
         82 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein the dynamic system sorts containers by train destination for placement in barges destined for direct discharge to a wharf with a rail on dock facility. 
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein the dynamic system puts a number of containers in a temporary stack within reach of a crane to facilitate train destination block sorting.