Autonomous Movement of Containers from Ship to Shore

AEPCO has developed plans for a system that will alleviate the vast majority of difficulties associated with supply and sustainment transfers. The name of the system is the Autonomous Sustainment Cargo Container (ASCC) delivery system and its plans and description are on file with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The ASCC meets the identified needs set forth in the solicitation by providing an apparatus, method and system for delivery of large volumes of commercial cargo containers to a primitive beach. This concept provides an ASCC for use in transferring cargo in support of cross-shore operations. The ASCC is comprised of a standard ISO shipping container fitted with a transporter unit. The transporter unit itself is comprised of a propulsion section and a control complex. The propulsion section consists of an engine module, a propulsion module, and a structure module. In turn, the control complex itself is comprised of an antenna, any necessary navigation lighting, a navigation processor, an inventory processor and a communications segment (with associated telecommunication interfaces and software input/output ports). A floatation unit may be attached to the other end of the ISO container to aid in recovery, sea keeping, trim, and reduction of impact risks.