The automated dock (Phase III project) of Qingdao Port is put into operation in East China’s Shandong Province, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo/China News Service)

The automated dock (Phase III project) of Qingdao Port was put into operation on Wednesday in East China’s Shandong Province.

Fully self-built and automated, the dock marks a breakthrough in the research and development of China’s automated terminal construction.

According to Zhang Liangang, chief scientist of Shandong Port and leader of the engineering team, with two 100,000-metric-ton container berths, its total quay length reaches 2,088 meters and available shoreline, 1,652 meters.

The project boasts many innovations, including fully localized operating systems and databases, localized and large-scale applied electronic control systems, and the world's first automated rail-mounted DC Power Supply System, Zhang said.

Following the implementation of the three-year action plan to build a world-class port cluster issued in July, the cargo handling capacity of Shandong Port exceeded 1.7 billion tons while its container handling capacity has reached over 40 million TEU.