In the current booming global shipping industry and deep integration of regional economies, ports, as important hubs for foreign trade and key engines for regional economic development, have attracted much attention for their construction and upgrading. Recently, the first phase of the renovation and expansion project of the north bank wharf in Qianwan Port Area of Qingdao Port has made significant progress - the preliminary design has been officially approved by the Qingdao Municipal Transportation Bureau. This measure marks another solid step for Qingdao Port in its journey towards becoming a world-class marine port and injects new impetus into the sustained prosperity of the regional economy.

Transportation task. However, with the rapid development of the hinterland economy and the rapid rise of the port industry, the container throughput of the port area continues to rise, while the existing operational capacity is gradually approaching saturation. This contradiction is becoming increasingly prominent, seriously restricting the sustainable development of the port area.

According to the Overall Plan of Qingdao Port (2035), container transportation in Qianwan Port Area will undergo significant changes. By scaling up and adjusting the functional layout, tapping potential and transforming in parallel, optimizing the layout of dock berths, fully tapping and tapping into the potential of shoreline resources, in order to achieve comprehensive improvement of dock level and sustained release of development momentum. In this context, the first phase of the renovation and expansion project of the north bank wharf in Qianwan Port Area of Qingdao Port has emerged.

The project plans to upgrade one 10000 ton and two 15000 ton cargo terminal berths to a 150000 ton multi-purpose terminal berth through renovation and expansion. After the renovation, the designed annual throughput capacity will reach 10.42 million tons, of which the container throughput capacity is as high as 1.03 million TEUs, with an estimated total investment of about 2.3 billion yuan. This renovation will not only significantly enhance the transportation capacity of the port area, but also bring more diversified transportation options to the port area.

In addition to upgrading hardware facilities, the project has also undergone automation and intelligent transformation of some work methods. By using automated equipment such as dual cantilever automated track type container gantry crane ARMG and container automatic guided vehicle (IGV) for transportation, and introducing advanced technologies such as AQC intelligent cargo handling system, intelligent 5G wireless network system, sensors, ultrasound, differential GNSS (Beidou), automatic detection, intelligent monitoring, intelligent control and intelligent scheduling of the operation process are achieved. The application of these technologies will effectively improve operational efficiency, reduce operating costs, and bring significant economic benefits to the port area.

The completion of the first phase of the renovation and expansion project of the north bank wharf of Qingdao Port Qianwan Port Area will fully unleash the wharf level of Qingdao Port Qianwan Port Area and inject new vitality into the high-quality development of Qingdao Port. It will not only enhance the transportation capacity and operational efficiency of the port area, but also play an important role in accelerating the construction of a world-class marine port and improving the competitiveness of Qingdao International Shipping Center. Looking ahead to the future, Qingdao Port will take this renovation and expansion as an opportunity to continuously deepen reform and innovation, promote high-quality development of the port, and contribute more to the prosperity of the regional economy and the progress of the global shipping industry.Editor/Cheng Liting