Automated port moves cargo at high speed

A fully automated container terminal at Qingdao Port in Shandong province, the first of its kind in Asia, achieved average efficiency of 52.1 moves of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per hour for a single crane on Tuesday, a world record.

The previous record was set by the Qingdao port operator, Shandong Port Group, in December. It was 47.6 moves per hour.

Unlike traditional ports, which rely on manual labor, the fully automated container terminal uses only robots and machines to load and unload shipping containers.

When it officially opened in May 2017, the terminal could handle 26.1 containers per hour. The operating team has continued to improve efficiency.