Automation milestone boosts SPG's Rizhao Port
China DailyThe world's first side-loading and parallel-layout fully automated container terminal is opened at Rizhao Port on Oct 9. Oct 9 marked a major milestone for Rizhao Port – the natural deep-water seaport on the coast of the city of Rizhao, in East China's Shandong province – with the opening there of the world's first side-loading and parallel-layout fully automated container terminal. Rizhao Port is operated by Chinese ports giant Shandong Port Group, or SPG – which is headquartered in Qingdao city in Shandong – and the new terminal is widely considered in the industry to be a shining example of the transformation and upgrading of conventional terminals to fully automated container terminals by SPG at global ports. Bucking the trend, after only 14 months of construction, Rizhao Port's engineering team developed fully automated container operations there, thanks to independent innovation and on-the-ground adoption of local technologies.