Container port in Xiamen model for automated operations

At Xiamen Ocean Gate Container Terminal Co, a subsidiary of China COSCO Shipping, an expansive port area operates with finely tuned precision and an almost eerie silence.

Massive lifting equipment glides seamlessly back and forth, moving containers onto unmanned vehicles ready to be transferred to the next stage in the process. From the gates to the shoreline, and from the ground to high in the air, the operational lines crisscross in a complex yet perfectly orderly manner, all without a single frontline worker in sight.

This scene is the daily reality at a facility recognized globally as the world's first fourth-generation automated terminal. It stands as China's first fully automated container terminal possessing complete, independent intellectual property rights. Located in the western area of the Haicang Bonded Port Area, the terminal was initiated for research and development in 2013 and officially put into operation in March 2016, marking a breakthrough for China's automated terminals.

The terminal's automation represents a comprehensive leap forward. It has transitioned from the vertical automation of first-generation terminals and the horizontal automated transport of second and third generations to a fully integrated, intelligent system. The facility is equipped with three automated dual-trolley quayside container cranes, 16 automated rail-mounted gantry cranes, 18 automated guided vehicles and eight automated container transfer platforms.

"Before a vessel berths, the fully automated terminal operating system has automatically generated an operation plan and issued instructions," said Bai Jue, a terminal operator at the Xiamen Ocean Gate Container Terminal.

Bai, who controls operations via a joystick in a remote monitoring room hundreds of meters away, said the automated quayside cranes and rail-mounted gantry cranes work in seamless coordination. Hundreds of sensors assist in the precise uplifting and placing of containers, completing the first step of the terminal's fully automated operations.

The terminal has eliminated traditional internal combustion engine-driven horizontal transport, placing the loading and unloading operations entirely on rail driven by electricity. This resolves environmental pollution issues such as noise and emissions.

"During the design phase, the terminal utilized a domestically developed simulation system with independent intellectual property rights for the design, development, statistics and analysis of the 'horizontal transport plus yard loading and unloading plus path optimization' of the automated container terminal," said Zhang Jinyang, general manager of the operations department at the terminal. Through centrally controlled computers, the yard achieves unmanned operations, reducing frontline personnel by 70 percent and increasing overall efficiency by 20 percent.

Beyond automation, the facility has continuously evolved into a highly advanced smart port. In 2020, it became the first smart port in China to implement 5G full-scenario applications. By constructing the country's first 5G three-dimensional network based on 4.9 gigahertz, 2.6 GHz and 700 megahertz high, medium and low frequencies, the terminal has built an information highway that supports autonomous driving, remote control of port machinery, intelligent tallying and smart security.

A prime example of this technological integration is the deployment of unmanned container trucks, jointly developed by the terminal, China Mobile and Dongfeng Motor. These vehicles can automatically avoid obstacles, precisely align with gantry cranes, and complete loading and unloading sequences autonomously.

"Unmanned container trucks represent a port revolution in the horizontal transportation aspect of the container terminal industry," said Lin Jianxi, assistant to the general manager of the terminal. "In the traditional terminal automation upgrade process, there is no need for infrastructure investment or halting production for modifications. Compared to the traditional automated terminal AGV model, it can save about 70 percent of upgrade costs, holding significant practical promotion value."

The 5G network's high bandwidth and low latency have also revolutionized remote operations. "At PT Expo China 2022, we achieved 5G remote real-time control of the terminal in Xiamen from Beijing, 1,700 kilometers away," Lin added.

Furthermore, intelligent tallying has replaced the grueling outdoor labor of the past. High-definition cameras installed on the front end of quayside cranes use artificial intelligence visual analysis to capture and identify container numbers, damage, and trailer numbers in real time. Tally clerks can now monitor operations dynamically from indoors, regardless of severe weather conditions.

To further enhance its logistical capabilities, the terminal is deeply integrated with a sea-rail intermodal transport system. The terminal's railway spur line, spanning over 1.5 km, utilizes a unique vertical layout that directly enters the terminal operation area, achieving a "zero-km" seamless connection between sea and rail transport.

"Import and export goods transported by rail to the coastal seaport can be directly shipped out by vessels, or goods arriving by vessels at the seaport can be directly transported out by rail," a staff member of the commercial department at the terminal said. This one-stop connection eliminates secondary transfers and off-site inspections, significantly compressing logistics costs and reducing cargo damage.

The project, which features three parallel loading and unloading lines capable of handling 40 train cars simultaneously, has a designed annual throughput of 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units and 250,000 metric tons of breakbulk cargo. It serves as a crucial node connecting the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Silk Road Economic Belt.

"The construction of the sea-rail intermodal transport project can leverage the railway's inland network, break through the bottlenecks hindering sea-rail transport and explore pushing expansion into midwestern hinterlands such as Hubei province and the Chengdu-Chongqing region," said Zhao Liqiang, stationmaster of Haicang Station at the Zhangzhou Train Operations Depot of China Railway Nanchang Bureau Group Co. Zhao emphasized that this grand channel streamlines the logistics chain, controls costs and transforms the sea-rail transport network into a comprehensive logistics web.