A fully automated container terminal started operating on Nov 28 at Qingdao Port in Shandong province.

The automated terminal, which is the second phase of the Qingdao Port project being carried out by Shandong Port Group, is designed to handle a maximum of 1.7 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).

According to local authorities, the terminal began construction on June 8, 2018 and took a year and a half to complete – five times faster than it usually takes to build such terminals.

The Qingdao Port's second phase – a fully automated container terminal – is launched on Nov 28 in Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 660-meter-long terminal has two berths equipped with nine dual-trolley quayside cranes, 38 high-speed rail cranes, and 45 automatically-guided vehicles.

Its unique energy source, consisting of hydrogen fuel cells and lithium battery packs, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 20,000 tons and sulfur dioxide emissions by about 697 tons per year.

The terminal is also utilizing advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, big data, 5G, cloud computing, and automatic control systems to create a more technologically advanced port.

In January, the first phase of the Qingdao Port became the first in the world to make use of 5G technology. The Qingdao Port is 30 percent more efficient than regular ports and employs 80 percent fewer people. Its level of automation is higher than that of Rotterdam Port and other world-class ports.

The second phase of Qingdao Port starts operating in Qingdao, Shandong province on Nov 28. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]