A research project on the applications of key technologies for the fully automated container terminal developed by Qingdao Port, a subsidiary of Shandong Port Group, or SPG – one of the world's biggest port operators, based in Qingdao city, in East China's Shandong province – recently received first prize for "Shandong Science and Technology Progress".

The container terminal has deployed complete independent research and development covering the full spectrum, ranging from design to construction and operations. It has achieved breakthroughs in its general layout and detailed designs, together with 12 major innovations that include cycle-charging technology for automated guided vehicles, or AGVs.

The Qingdao Port fully automatic terminal has been awarded with more than 130 national patents and has had over 90 scientific papers on it published, while also obtaining more than 10 software copyrights. The terminal – the first of its kind in terms of automatic terminal construction in China – has won a series of prizes at the municipal, provincial and national levels, gaining a first-rate reputation among its clients and industrial insiders.