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  Looking out, the vast Bohai Bay is a towering giant. This is the "one sea gateway" of one belt, one road and one important point. In 2020, Tianjin Port's annual container throughput reached a record high, with a year-on-year growth of 6.1% to complete 18.35 million standard containers.

  Most of container transportation depends on roads. Every day a large number of goods arrive here at high speed, where they "board the ship to sea". There will also be international goods that are circulating at high speed to its radiation hinterland. Port and high-speed connection together build the "blood line" of economic operation. In order to better play its own functions, Tianjin port is marching towards the world-class green smart hub port. The intelligent container terminal (hereinafter referred to as "section C intelligent terminal") of section C of Beijiang port area of Tianjin port is under way, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. After the construction of the wharf, the process from unloading to yard operation on the shore will be automatic.

  How many steps will it take to take the cargo container off a cargo ship more intelligently and efficiently? After the cargo ship stops, the quay bridge lifts the container on the ship and moves it to the container truck. The truck opens to the terminal yard, then lifts the container by the yard bridge and places it in the specified position, waiting for the owner of the cargo to pull them away. The whole process seems simple, but every step has a high requirement for staff.

  Zhang Kai, deputy manager of project technology department: "at present, the container terminal in Tianjin port is top-notch in terms of equipment and staff technology. Looking at the traditional terminals all over the world, the efficiency of these two terminals is also among the top." More than a decade ago, the maximum lifting height of the quay bridge in Tianjin Port was 43 meters and the maximum extension distance was 66 meters. Now, the lifting height of the bridge has reached 54 meters and the extension distance reaches 70 meters, which can meet the loading and unloading requirements of the largest container ships.

  At present, the world is relatively mature automation terminal, the storage yard is vertical to the shoreline layout, and the energy consumption is very high. However, the yard of intelligent terminal in Section C is parallel to the quay shoreline. The single trolley bank bridge and double cantilever track bridge are adopted. In the process of loading and unloading, the loading and unloading times and the number of transport reversal can be effectively reduced, "using more advanced technology to reduce energy consumption" Container trucks transported in the field have also become high-tech products, they have no traction head, can travel in two directions, and are driverless, "through the power of technology, they can walk in the best track." At present, several major nodes of intelligent terminal project of section C are completed as planned. By the end of 2021, the whole project will be completed.

• [Editor:Catherine Ren]