Pakistan ports set for fully automated digitalised operations

KARACHI: The Tianjin Port Group and Huawei announced to deepen cooperation to build a digital twin of the world’s first smart, driverless, zero-carbon port terminal, making it more automated and intelligent, a statement said.

Yang Jiemin, vice president of the Tianjin Port Group, said that this plan consists of three parts: construction of new automated terminals, upgrading traditional terminals and comprehensive digital transformation.

The Section C Terminal in the Beijiang Port area of the Port of Tianjin was the world’s first smart, driverless zero-carbon port terminal.

It entered large-scale commercial operations in October 2021 and has been operating stably ever since. Using 5G and L4 autonomous driving technologies at the terminal makes operations safer and more efficient.

At the terminal, remotely-controlled quay cranes lift loaded containers from cargo ships and put them onto the intelligent robots for horizontal transportation.

Supported by the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, these robots are guided to automatic locking and unlocking stations to load and unload containers and then to the container yard along optimal driving routes that are calculated in real-time. The entire process runs with the clockwork precision.

Jiemin explained how the new solution, which combines 5G and L4 autonomous driving technologies, has been put into large-scale commercial application in a partially public scenario at the Section C Terminal for the first time.

This has provided a new model for upgrading and transforming traditional container terminals worldwide. “These innovations being used at the Tianjin Port are having a huge impact on the industry, creating new value for ports by improving operating environments, driving green and low-carbon development and increasing the operational efficiency,” Yang said.

“We believe that these practices will promote the intelligent development of the global port industry,” he added.

Shunli Wang, vice president of Huawei Middle East and Central Asia, said “Ports in Pakistan are set for revolutionary, smart, zero-carbon fully automated digitalised operations that leverage 5G, AI and cloud and other advanced digital capabilities. We are keen to utilise our expertise to enable ports in the region to be safer, more efficient, smart, green and more intelligent.”

Yue Kun, CTO of Huawei’s Smart Road, Waterway and Port BU, said: “The ports are a vital link in the international supply chain, connecting trade and supply markets across the globe. Building more efficient smart ports is becoming an increasingly pressing requirement for the global supply chain. Section C Terminal of the Tianjin Port has been operating stably for over a year, proving that 5G and L4 autonomous driving had already been successfully adopted by the industries in China and are creating true commercial and social value.”

Kun believes that this progress will benefit various industries, with the next-generation digital technologies, such as 5G and AI, combined to resolve the industry’s problems, promote digital industry transformation and upgrading, and generate social value.

As a major modern port, the Tianjin Port boasts 300,000 tonnes class terminals with a channel depth of 22m. It has 213 berths of various types. In 2022, its container throughput exceeded 21 million TEUs, ranking among the top 10 ports worldwide.