Tianjin Port Group and Huawei announced this week that the two companies will deepen their cooperation to build an identical digital port, making it more automated and smarter. Yang Jiemin, Vice President of Tianjin Port Group, explained that this plan will have three parts: construction of new automated terminals, upgrading of existing terminals and complete digital transformation.
Section C Terminal located in Beijiang Port Area of Tianjin Port was the world’s first intelligent and carbon-free port terminal. It began full-scale commercial operations in October 2021 and has been operating operationally ever since. 5G and L4 autonomous driving technologies are applied to this terminal to make it safer, but also more efficient.
At the terminal, the container cranes work automatically and the intelligent robots of the horizontal transport system move frequently. Remote-controlled dock cranes lift containers from cargo ships and place them on smart robots for horizontal transport. Supported by the BeiDou satellite navigation system, these robots are guided to automatic locking and unlocking stations to open the containers and then to the container storage yard following optimal routes calculated in real time. The whole process runs perfectly smoothly.
Yang Jiemin explained how the new solution, combining 5G and L4 autonomous driving technologies, was for the first time commercially applied on a large scale in a partially public scenario at the C-section terminal. This provided a new model for the upgrade and transformation of existing traditional container terminals around the world.
« These innovations used at the port of Tianjin have a considerable impact on the port industry. Firstly, these create added value for ports by improving operational environments. These innovations then promote environmental and low-carbon development. Finally, they increase operational efficiency. We are convinced that these practices will promote the intelligent development of the global port industry.« , said Mr. Yang.
Yue Kun, CTO of Huawei Smart Road, Waterway & Port BU, said: « Ports are an essential link in maritime transport, linking trade and supply markets across the world. Building more efficient smart ports is thus becoming an increasingly pressing requirement for the global supply chain. The C-section terminal of Tianjin Port has been operating optimally for more than a year now. This proves that 5G and L4 autonomous driving have already been successfully adopted by industries in China and are creating real business and social value. »
Yue Kun believes that these advancements will benefit various industries, as next-generation digital technologies such as 5G and AI combine to solve problems facing the industry, promote transformation as well as the upgrading of the world. digital industry, and to generate social value.
As a major modern infrastructure, Tianjin Port has terminals with a capacity of 300,000 tons with a channel depth of 22 meters. It has 213 berths of different types. In 2022, its container throughput exceeded 21 million TEUs, ranking it among the world’s top 10 ports.
