Jingjiang port deploys digital technology to go smart

Five massive ship unloaders were seen operating in full swing on May 7, moving cargo from two vessels berthed at a terminal in Jingjiang port – located in Jingjiang city, in East China's Jiangsu province.

The freight offloaders were moving 1,800 tons of cargo per hour since the ships arrived early in the morning and all the unloading work was scheduled to be completed in 20 hours, according to Wang Huan, manager of a local logistics company.

With its two 100,000-ton berths, Jingjiang Port has received 36 vessels and handled 3.5 million tons of cargo since it gained permission from authorities to begin their operations in December 2023.

That high level of efficiency has been attributed to a great deal of progress made so far in the port's digital and intelligent construction.

Using a closed-belt corridor transportation system, the coal that was being unloaded on the day was continuously fed into closed silos in the coal sheds, said Wang Jian, an engineer from the logistics company.

Huge mounds of coal pile up in the closed-belt corridor transportation system at Jingjiang Port. [Photo/WeChat account: ZGJJKFQ]

With a giant bucket wheel machine and 12 laser-based devices for estimating coal storage volumes – as well as the company's intelligent control and digital yard system – the accuracy and efficiency of operations has been greatly improved, he added.

"By using laser scanning to build a 3D model, we can monitor the customer's information, name, volume, height of the product and the location of the coal pile," explained Wang Xin, another member of staff.