2021 is the beginning year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the beginning of a new journey of modernization. In order to fully demonstrate the vivid practice and fresh experience of all localities and departments bravely shouldering the historical mission and striving for the advanced position, Ningbo Daily, China Ningbo Net, and Yongpai jointly launched the "Forging Hardcore Forces, Striving for the Advanced Position and Accelerating the Construction of a Modern Coastal Metropolis" Column, the first series of reports focused on Ningbo's practice of digital reform. On April 10, the prominent position column on the front page of the "Ningbo Daily" published "Digitalization, Making Ports Smarter-Exploring the Smart Port in the Meishan Port Area of Zhoushan Port, Ningbo". One by one, dark blue smart trucks drove into the designated berths in the Meishan Port Area of Zhoushan Port, Ningbo neatly and uniformly. Between the blue sea and blue sky, a red remote-controlled automated bridge crane stands on the dock, calmly carrying containers from the huge ship. The huge containers are like building blocks. After being picked up, they are steadily unloaded onto the arriving smart truck... The entire production operation is like flowing water, in an orderly manner. Not far away, the remote-controlled automatic tire crane in the yard is already in place, waiting for the arrival of the smart truck. "Our group's independently developed and innovative operating system can accurately reach the loading and unloading instructions of each container." In the remote control operation room, the gantry crane driver Ye Yong and his colleagues are using the handle to control the container lifting. As a pilot demonstration zone for the smart port construction of Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Meishan Port Area is a practitioner of Ningbo Zhoushan Port's transformation from a traditional port to a digital port. Recently, Yong sent reporters to come here to explore the changes and changes in this smart port.

In May 2020, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Zhejiang Mobile, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry, and Huawei formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement. They plan to build a "5G+ Smart Port" in the Meishan Port Area, improve the port's smart operation process, and create a batch of "5G+" remote ports. Demonstration applications including controlled automated tire cranes.

Work is like playing games

"Once, we had to spin for 12 hours in a control room more than 20 meters high. The summer is hot and the winter is cold. The wind or rain is unimpeded. If we lose concentration, it is inevitable that there will be hidden operational safety hazards." The introduction of remote control automation technology makes Ye Yong's work content. A huge change has taken place. Now he sits in a spacious and comfortable operating room. There are several high-definition monitors in front of him. The mechanical joysticks on hand have been replaced by electronic buttons and handles for remote control. "Workers often joke, and now they operate gantry cranes. It’s like playing a game, it’s still a test of technology, but it’s more fun!"

During the Spring Festival this year, Wu Qifei went to work as usual. The difference is that in the past, he sat in the cockpit of a bridge crane that was more than 40 meters high and looked down. The keyhole of the container was like a pinhole, making it difficult to grasp the box. Now the remote control bridge crane he operates is equipped with 19 cameras that can accurately identify Every corner of the operation ensures "no blind spots". "In order to be able to "lift the accuracy", bridge crane drivers need to practice for a long time to become unique. Many people suffer from lumbar muscle strain and neck, shoulder, waist and leg pain." Wu Qifei said, "Now, the equipment will be automatically before the work. For infrared scanning, as long as you switch to the automatic operation mode, the spreader will automatically go down and locate the position I want to go to. It is accurately controlled at a certain height. It is safe and reliable. It is indeed a lot easier. Control three devices."

Meishan Wharf Renovation Opens Another Way

With the development of digital technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing, the intelligentization of terminals is a major development trend. In 1993, the world's first automated container terminal was put into commercial operation at the ECT automated terminal in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In China, the appearance of automated terminals was a bit late, and it was not gradually completed until after 2015. Currently, Shanghai Yangshan Port, Qingdao Port, Xiamen Yuanhai Port and other ports have built fully automated terminals. “The Meishan Port Area did not follow the trend of domestic ports, but found another path to intelligently transform existing terminals.” said Peng Jie, deputy general manager of Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal Co., Ltd. For example, most domestic terminals are rail-mounted gantry cranes. However, Meishan Port District chose the remote control automatic tire-type gantry crane.

“Because the various terminals of Ningbo Zhoushan Port are mixed with the port's own trucks and foreign trucks, it is very difficult to completely separate them. We must complete the intelligent transformation without affecting the normal production and operation of the port.” Zeng was in Ningbo. Peng Jie, who is engaged in technical work at Port Information and Communication Co., Ltd., has a unique understanding of the intelligentization of terminals. The automation transformation of traditional container terminals has the advantages of short construction period and small investment. Compared with newly built unmanned terminals, the transformation of existing terminals will have a larger market. According to Peng Jie, Meishan Port is now stepping up the construction of remote-controlled bridge cranes, remote-controlled automated tire cranes, and unmanned trucks, and is striving to build an automated port operation chain. In the future, it is possible to realize terminal container loading and unloading and horizontal transportation. , Intelligent operation of the whole process of loading and unloading links in the yard. Technological upgrades and smart terminal construction have given Meishan Port Area the opportunity to become the forefront of global ports. In 2020, Meishan Port area completed the loading and unloading operations of the world's largest container ship "Hyundai Algeciras", and the annual container throughput increased by more than 10% year-on-year.

Since the second half of last year, Meishan Port District has introduced "no driver's cab" remote control automatic gantry cranes, which has taken another big step towards fully automated operations. "The cancellation of the remote control gantry crane driver's cab is based on our confidence gained from the trial and development of remote control technology in recent years." said Hu Xucheng, the chief engineer of the engineering department of Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal Co., Ltd. The reporter learned that in the future Meishan Port area, one side is a 5G remote-controlled automated tire crane cluster, which can complete operations such as grabbing and placing boxes under remote control; on the other side is a 5G autonomous driving truck team, carrying goods to and from the stack. Fields and docks, sent to all directions. Peng Jie told reporters that this year the Meishan Port Area will add more automation equipment and at the same time automate the transformation of traditional equipment. “We will transform digitization into productivity and strive to complete the annual container volume of 7 million TEUs.” According to the plan, By the end of 2021, a single berth in the second phase of the Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal will realize the automatic operation mode of "remote control quay crane + unmanned truck + remote control automatic tire crane". "A small change in one year, a big change in five years." In the next five years, a brand new, automated and large-scale operation of tens of millions of container terminals will come to us!  Edit/Xu Ning