Qingdao Port has put China’s first vacuum-based automated mooring system into commercial operation at its fully automated container terminal, according to China News Service and China Transportation News.
The port said the system reduces a vessel’s mooring time to under 30 seconds and removes the need for dockworkers to handle mooring lines on the quay.
The system was first used on January 1, 2026, when the 366-metre container vessel “MSC Saudi Arabia” was automatically identified, positioned and secured at the berth using vacuum suction pads.
The mooring process, which typically takes 20–30 minutes when done conventionally, was completed within 30 seconds.
The installation comprises 13 mooring units deployed along the berth line and is designed for container ships longer than 200 metres. When activated simultaneously, the units can generate a total suction force of 2,600 kN, which is sufficient for the automated mooring needs of the world’s largest container ships.
The system uses a three-layer control structure described as “remote centralized control + mobile terminal + local single-unit control” and is intended to improve operational safety by keeping personnel away from line-snap danger zones.
The system is expected to reduce total annual berthing time by more than 200 hours, which it estimated to be roughly equivalent to enabling a berth to handle more than 10 additional ships per year.
Qingdao Port is a port operating entity in northern China that manages multiple cargo terminals, including container facilities, and is part of Shandong Port Group, a state-owned port group overseeing major coastal ports in Shandong province.
