On October 18, swissnex China joined its peers from the Science & Technology Diplomatic Circle on an insightful visit to the Yangshan Phase IV Automated Terminal, the largest automated container terminal worldwide. Compared to traditional container terminals, the automated terminal requires 70% less staff to operate, and is 30% more efficient at full capacity.
Yangshan Phase IV Automated Terminal is the largest container terminal worldwide.
The terminal was constructed in December 2014, and opened for trial operations in December, covering a total land area of 2.23 million m2, with a quay length of 2350 meters and 7 deep water berths. It is located on the west side of the Yangshan Deep Water Port - one of the busiest ports in the world. The port is built on the islands of Greater and Lesser Yangshan and is connected to the mainland through the world’s largest sea bridge – Donghai Bridge.
Compared to traditional container terminals, the automated terminal requires 70% less staff to operate, and is 30% more efficient at full capacity.
The quay cranes use a double-trolley structure, with the main trolley in remote control and the portal trolley in full automation.
Yangshan Phase IV Automated Terminal relies on three key advanced automated equipment for its operations: the Quay Crane (QC), the 16 Automatic Stacking Crane (ASC) and the 80 Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV). The quay cranes use a double-trolley structure, with the main trolley in remote control and the portal trolley in full automation. The ASCs are fully-automated, with the standard, single-sided and both-side cantilever ASCs working in collaboration to improve efficiency. The AGVs, equipped with hydraulic lifting platforms and 8-hour lithium batteries, are guided by transponders and work with a fully-automated battery exchange system to ensure 24-hour operations.
The terminal runs mostly on renewable energy, drawing much of its power from an immense wind park nearby. The handling and transportation systems run fully on electric power.
We were delighted to have joined our peers from the S&T Diplomatic Circle on the insightful visit.
We were delighted to have participated in the visit with our peers from the S&T Diplomatic Circle, and would like to express our special thanks to Mario Quina (Consulate General of Portugal) for his great work in coordinating this visit.