The automated container terminal of Qingdao Port in orderly operation [Photo/WeChat account: shandong-port]

During the handling operation of the vessel PUTNAM at Qingdao Port Fully Automated Container Terminal of Shandong Port Group (SPG) involved, achieved an average efficiency of 46.7 moves per hour for a single crane, handling 1,032 moves and 1,394 TEUs or 20-foot equivalent units, for the sixth time breaking the world record for vessel handling by an automated container terminal on Dec 17.

The automated container terminal operated by Qingdao Port of Shandong Port Group (SPG) is located on the south bank of the Qingdao Qianwan Port Area. Through the efforts of the Liangang Innovation Team led by Zhang Liangang, an expert in automated container construction, Qingdao Port has consistently turned out one of the best track records for automated terminal handling.

It took only three years for the Liangang Innovation Team to complete research and development R&D tasks which might on average have taken eight to ten years, and to build the first fully automated container terminal in Asia and the first 5G Smart Terminal in the world through independent innovation.

On Dec 3, 2017, just six months after its establishment, the terminal started operations with a waterfront of 660 meters, two berths and a designed handling capacity of 1.5 million TEUs per year. It quickly set a world record with an average efficiency of 39.6 moves per hour for a single crane.

In 2018 and 2019, Qingdao Port set four more consecutive world records for single crane automated container terminal handling.

Additionally, the team developed the first automatic container terminal standard system in China and now boasts hundreds of automated container-related patents.

The automated container terminal operated by SPG [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]