Going to the grassroots level in the New Year | Products are transported smoothly at the port that connects the world, view from the production line of Ningbo Zhoushan Port on the eve of Spring Festival

 

 

Viewing from the 12th-floor platform of the administrative office building of Ningbo Beilun Third Container Terminal Co., Ltd. on a rainy winter day, containers are neatly stacked in rows in the Chuanshan Port Area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port. Further away, massive cargo ships are moored at the berth, with giant bridge cranes working intensely to load and unload. The operation is busy yet orderly.

Since the beginning of this year, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has maintained the positive momentum of production and operation seen in 2023. Data from Zhejiang Provincial Port and Shipping Management Center show that in January, Ningbo Zhoushan Port completed a container throughput of 3.52 million TEUs, up 17% year on year, hitting a record high in a single month.

 

 

View in Chuanshan Port Area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

 

 

"The record high monthly container operation volume is attributed to enterprises accelerating shipments before the Chinese New Year," said a head of the business department of Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Co., Ltd. Since the Chinese New Year falls in early February this year, the entire month of January experienced a peak period for shipments by foreign trade enterprises.

By the end of 2023, the total number of container shipping routes at Ningbo Zhoushan Port has remained stable at over 300, with 130 routes specifically designated for the "Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)". The continuous improvement of shipping routes has established Ningbo Zhoushan Port as a key hub with a global transportation network, connecting it to various destinations worldwide. At the same time, the well-developed integrated transport system provides strong support for ensuring the efficiency, stability, and smooth flow of the logistics chain.

At the Beilun Port Railway Station, a train from Yiwu has just arrived and is currently stationed. A gantry crane is unloading containers from the train and loading them onto container trucks which will then transport containers to the port.

"Last year, Beilun Port Station completed a sea-rail intermodal operation volume of 930,000 TEUs. Starting from January 10 this year, the national railway system implemented a new train operation diagram. The freight trains on the Ningbo-Jinhua Railway have been opened at Beilun Port Station, providing a more convenient route between the world's largest port Ningbo Zhoushan Port and the 'global supermarket' Yiwu," said Tu Xia, the sea-rail freight supervisor of Ningbo Beilun First Container Terminal Co., Ltd.

It is understood that the Ningbo-Jinhua Railway freight trains currently operate three round trips daily, significantly reducing the transportation time between the two locations from the previous approximately 10 hours to 4-5 hours.

The increase in workload is inseparable from the solid guarantee of terminal infrastructure. In December 2023, the construction project of Container Terminals No. 6 to 10 at Meishan Port Area successfully passed the completion acceptance inspection, marking the completion of all phase II projects at Meishan Port. This project is connected with the previously completed berths 1 to 5 at the Meishan Port Area, forming a berth cluster with a total coastline length of 3,950 meters and an annual throughput capacity of 10 million TEUs.

Peng Jie, deputy general manager of Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal Co., Ltd., told reporters that the positioning of the Meishan Port Area at Ningbo Zhoushan Port, especially the phase II projects of Meishan Port, is a model for the transition from traditional terminals to automated ones. Currently, the entire terminal has deployed 50 bridge cranes and 175 gantry cranes, laying a solid foundation for improving the port's production capacity.

 

 

The bridge crane driver is remotely controlling loading and unloading in the remote control room of Meishan Port Area, Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

 

 

Inside the remote control room in the Meishan Port Area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port, the giant bridge crane driver keeps a close eye on the computer screen and gently pushes the joystick with his left and right hands to control the unloading and loading of containers from cargo ships to container trucks one by one on the terminal about 3 kilometers away.

"At present, the efficiency of remote control operations has essentially reached parity with conventional operation modes. Under favorable conditions, it can even surpass conventional operations," stated Wu Qifei, a bridge crane instructor at Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal Co., Ltd. "For instance, during the cold winter period, we can operate bridge cranes remotely from indoors to complete loading and unloading tasks. This has greatly improved the working environment for the bridge crane operators."

The relevant person in charge of the Dispatching and Command Center of Ningbo Zhoushan Port said that by collaborating with the maritime department on initiatives like "smart navigation" and "strong port meteorology," the port has enhanced the scientific nature of ship dispatching. This has reduced the impact of severe weather in January on port transportation operations and ensured smooth passage of key ships. At the same time, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has enhanced cooperation with border control, customs, and other departments to further optimize processes and improve efficiency.

 

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Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of this website. The Chinese version shall prevail.