Containers are increasing under automated cranes in the container terminal of the Port of Qingdao, in east China’s Shandong Province. There, self-driving container haulers have now taken the place of old-school trucks.
As Xinhua news agency reports, the smart container lifting system at the fully automated terminal allows rail mounted gantry cranes to lift containers without hoisting trucks underneath.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
Commenting on this, Li Fengli, chairman of Qingdao Port (Group) Co., Ltd, said that AI, 5G and image recognition technologies, have boosted the lifting efficiency. With automation, the average crane capacity of the port is 36.1 containers per hour, which is 50% higher than the world average level.
Moreover, blockchain technology also helps. With blockchain, real-time information can be obtained regarding the entire shipping process, therefore enhancing the shipping efficiency, according to Yin Lin, deputy director of the China Transport Telecommunication and Information Center under the Ministry of Transport.
Last year, the container throughput at Chinese major ports reached approximately 250 million TEUs, an increase of 5.3% from 2017. What is more, seven out of the world’s 10 largest ports in terms of annual cargo and container throughput last year were located in China.
However, port automation also applied to inland ports. In fact, the Port of Tangshan in north China’s Hebei Province wants to advance automation by deploying technologies like mathematical modeling and big data.
Another positive for automation is the fact that it can improve safety. Facilities that incorporate a weather monitoring system and automatic fire extinguishing system have led to better safety assurance for container terminals, the Port of Qingdao notes.
