Qingdao Port’s automated facility, managed by Shandong Port Group, has once again set a world record in container handling efficiency, marking its 13th such achievement.
On 22 May, during the unloading of the Cap San Lazaro vessel, the terminal attained an unprecedented average productivity of 62.62 TEUs per hour per crane, the highest ever recorded for an automated terminal worldwide.
This outstanding performance is attributed to advanced technological innovations implemented at the terminal. Central to these improvements are the A-TOS intelligent terminal control system and the A-ECS equipment control system, both developed internally by Shandong Port Group.
These systems leverage sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms to determine the best stacking positions from a pool exceeding 150,000 options.
This optimisation has resulted in a 5.14 per cent reduction in stacking turnover rates, enhancing operational efficiency.
Additionally, the integration of visual perception and automatic guidance technologies has contributed to a 2.6 per cent reduction in operating spacing and a 3.6 per cent increase in equipment speed.
READ: GSBN enables paperless cargo release at Qingdao Port
A significant upgrade rolled out in April 2025 further enhanced automation capabilities.
The terminal’s shore bridge, equipped with AI and 3D point cloud technology, successfully managed a lateral deviation of 40 centimetres at a speed of 15 kilometres per hour without human control.
This breakthrough reduced the lifting height of the handling equipment by 16.6 metres and shortened the time required to handle each container by nearly 20 seconds.
Efficiency gains have also been realised on the landslide, where the adoption of large-scale model training for truck and container movements has boosted overall productivity by approximately 9 per cent.
Qingdao Port ranked 4th in PTI’s annual breakdown of the best premium ports in China.
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