Tianjin Port in north China's Tianjin Municipality, which is one of the world's top 10 terminals, is by far the first fully automated zero-carbon port with 5G and AI technology applications around the globe, attracting international vessels with its stunning efficiency.
The port, located at the northwestern Bohai Bay, links over 500 ports in more than 180 countries and regions with the world's top market and manufacturer.
On one of the world's largest cargo vessels, the MSC Tessa, Captain Rajiv Chauhan and his crew handled goods of over 24,000 TEUs destined for Africa during this rotation, with Tianjin Port included in its route.
"All the big ships in MSE are almost compulsory to call China because China is a major exporter of goods all around the world and Tianjin is a key port here," said Chauhan.
"(It is a key) route for our ship because, as in this time, we are loading close to 105,000 tonnes of cargo. So that is a lot of cargo for any port, which is almost 50 percent the capacity of the carrying capacity of the ship. Normally you don't get so much cargo from any port in one go. So, to get this much cargo, it is a very valuable port for us," he said.
Supported by 5G and AI technologies, Tianjin Port helps to improve the efficiency of vessels accessing the port during round-the-clock cargo handling operations every day with its high-level automation.
"Tianjin Port Second Container Terminal is the world's first smart carbon-neutral container terminal. Leveraging 5G and AI, we've achieved fully automated operations throughout the entire process. The system now boosts overall efficiency by 30 percent. We now handle over 10,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) per day. The entire process achieves true carbon-neutral status through green energy generated by our wind turbines and photovoltaic systems," said Wen Xuelin, operating manager of Tianjin Port Second Container Terminal.
To further facilitate the import and export, Tianjin Customs also streamlined the clearance process to allow faster turn-overs.
"With growing numbers of international vessels calling at Tianjin Port in recent years, we've streamlined operations to achieve higher clearance efficiency. Today, ships commenced cargo operations immediately upon arrival and depart promptly upon completion, saving approximately one to two hours in port clearance time per vessel," said Gao Wei, deputy captain of the Second Team under the Donggang Port Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station.
Marked by its world-leading efficiency and huge volume, Tianjin Port has been a top destination for international vessels.
"It is very convenient for us to call Tianjin. It is a big port, it is easy to berth and unberth, do the maneuvers here. The gantries are upgraded, all automated systems here, so the margin of error becomes less. This is not normal. These automated gantries I think constitute not more than 5 percent around the world. The turn-around time is very important for the ship because the more we stay in the port, the less money we make. We have to take the cargo as soon as possible and discharge on the other side as soon as possible so that we will keep making money for the company," said Chauhan.
The World Economic Forum's 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, commonly known as Summer Davos, will be held from Tuesday to Thursday in Tianjin. In recent years, Tianjin has continuously attracted foreign-funded enterprises and achieved high-level opening-up, and the prosperity of Tianjin Port has been underpinning the city's development.
Fully-automated Tianjin Port attracts global vessels with high efficiency
