Ports are fundamental, pivotal infrastructure, and a vital pillar of economic development. They not only handle everything and connect the world, but also serve as a frontier in promoting the development of a beautiful China.
From the shores of the Bohai Sea to the South China Sea, a vibrant ecological landscape of green ports is slowly unfolding. Tianjin Port's Beijiang Port Area Section C intelligent container terminal, with its innovative automated loading and unloading equipment and clean energy applications, has become a new benchmark for green port development globally. Qingdao Port is promoting the replacement of port vehicles and ships with electric power, with electric loaders, electric forklifts, electric sewage suction trucks, and electric dump trucks gradually entering service. Electric non-road mobile machinery now accounts for over 50% of the total. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is anchored in the development of a green shipping corridor and promoting clean energy substitution for ships, creating a new model for coordinated emissions reduction within the Bay Area. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the driving force behind my country's port economic growth will shift from traditional throughput expansion to a dual-engine approach driven by smart technology and green development. The development concepts of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and "building a modern society where humans and nature coexist in harmony" have taken root in the hearts of the people, become a consensus, are being put into action, and are bearing fruit. Ports have become key players in implementing the national "dual carbon" strategy, building a beautiful China, and developing new-quality productivity.
Establishing rules and regulations sets the tone. In recent years, my country's green port development policy framework has been increasingly refined, forming a multi-layered, comprehensive policy planning framework. A series of important policy documents, including the "Guiding Opinions on Building World-Class Ports," the "14th Five-Year Plan for Green Transportation," and the "Implementation Plan for Synergistic Efficiency Improvement in Pollution and Carbon Reduction," have been successively issued. The Ministry of Transport and the National Bureau of Transportation have formulated supporting implementation plans centered on the "dual carbon" goals, driving significant progress in promoting green port transformation.
At the same time, my country has intensified the development of a green port evaluation standard system, formulating and revising standards and specifications such as the "Green Transportation Standard System (2022)," the "Green Port Rating Evaluation Guidelines," and the "Water Transport Engineering Energy-Saving Design Specifications." In particular, the Ministry of Transport, in accordance with national policies on ecological civilization development and green development in the port industry, revised and issued the "Green Port Rating Evaluation Guidelines" in 2020, building on the "Green Port Rating Evaluation Standards" issued in 2013. This has significantly boosted the enthusiasm and initiative for green port development.
With a focus on green development, my country has established a top-down policy framework for green port development. Provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, based on their respective specific circumstances, have successively released plans and action plans for green port development, fully aligning with the national green port top-level design. Qinhuangdao Port Co., Ltd., the Qinhuangdao Municipal Party Committee, and the Qinhuangdao Municipal Government have established a Green Port Construction Leading Group to jointly promote green port development and fully advance the development of a green port area. Tianjin Port Pacific International Container Terminal Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Port Beijiang Port Area Section C Intelligent Container Terminal have formed a leading group to coordinate the development of a five-star green port, providing full support and assistance in construction planning, special funding, publicity, and training.
In addition, my country's ports have established energy efficiency management information systems to enable real-time collection, monitoring, and analysis of energy data, continuously improving energy management. Environmental management information systems have also been established to collect real-time environmental quality data on sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen monoxide, and dust, enabling monitoring, statistics, and comparative analysis of major pollutant emissions to guide port operations. These measures have collectively established a multi-layered, three-dimensional green development policy system, providing strong support for the port industry's low-carbon transition.
According to statistics from the China Ports and Harbors Association, to date, a total of 65 terminals and one port area across China have been designated as star-rated "green ports." Among them, the Huanghua Port Coal Terminal Project, the Tianjin Port Second Container Terminal Project, the Tianjin Port Beijiang Port Area Section C Intelligent Container Terminal Project, the Qingdao Port Qianwan Port Area Dubai Global Terminal Project, the Nanjing Port Longtan Container Terminal Project, the Zhangjiagang Port Group Gangsheng Bulk Cargo Terminal Project, and the Shanghai Yangshan Deepwater Port Phase IV Terminal Project have been designated "Five-Star Green Ports." The Qinhuangdao Port East Port Area Coal Phase III Terminal, Coal Phase IV and Expansion Terminal, and Coal Phase V Terminal Project have been designated "Five-Star Green Port Areas." Fifty-one ports have achieved "Four-Star Green Port" status, forming a series of green port projects.
Strengthening Pollution Prevention and Control to Enhance the Port Ecological Foundation
Amidst the blue sky and azure sea, intelligent gantry cranes operate efficiently; amidst lush trees and red flowers, new energy equipment operates in an orderly manner; and giant ships of 10,000 tons shuttle back and forth, coexisting harmoniously with the surrounding environment. Today, modern ports present a vibrant scene.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the proportion of green transport organizations, with ports as key nodes, has steadily increased. Port pollution prevention and control has achieved remarkable results, and clean energy has been widely promoted and applied in ports, unfolding a beautiful picture of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
Intermodal transport has accelerated. In recent years, my country's ports have vigorously adjusted and optimized their energy structure, resulting in an average annual growth of approximately 15% in container rail-water transport volume at ports nationwide. Hebei Port Group is building a comprehensive green logistics and transportation system by integrating sea-rail transport + water-water transshipment, enclosed belt corridors, road transport, and new energy vehicle transport. By 2024, the proportion of green transported iron ore at Hebei Port Group will reach 82.4%. Qinzhou Port, a key node at the intersection of land and sea in the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, has set a positive example for green port development through the deep integration of the Qinzhou Railway Container Center Station and the port. Shanghai Port, supporting the national strategy of developing intermodal transport in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, has vigorously developed intermodal transport and achieved remarkable growth in its business. Currently, the proportion of clean horizontal container transport equipment at 11 international hub seaports, including Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, has exceeded 60%. By optimizing their transport organizational structure, ports nationwide are not only effectively promoting energy mix optimization and carbon emission reduction, but also fostering a new pattern of green development within the port collection and distribution system.
Clean energy is fast-forwarding. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, my country's ports will continue to advance a cleaner energy mix, adhering to the principle of utilizing electricity, gas, and hydrogen where appropriate. They will vigorously promote diversified energy supply and cleaner energy use, working on both the supply and consumption sides to build a clean, low-carbon energy system. By 2024, 3,900 ships in the Yangtze River Economic Belt will have completed port shore power ship powering facility retrofits, and ships in the region will have consumed 190 million kilowatt-hours of shore power, a year-on-year increase of approximately 54%. Tianjin Port Group and Shandong Port Group are using pure electric and hydrogen fuel cell container trucks, innovatively employing intelligent battery swapping. Fujian Port Group and Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co., Ltd. are developing photovoltaic and wind power generation to provide green electricity for their ports. The quay cranes, rail-mounted cranes, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in the fourth phase of the Yangshan Deepwater Port Area of the Shanghai International Shipping Center are all electrically powered. This eliminates exhaust emissions from key terminal loading and unloading, horizontal transportation, and yard loading and unloading operations, significantly improving environmental noise.
Pollution prevention and control is building a "three-dimensional network." During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, my country's ports will strengthen dust and particulate matter control at dry bulk terminals, enhance the construction and deployment of wastewater recycling equipment, and promote ecological restoration of port shorelines, achieving an integrated integration of ports and the ecological environment. To address dust and particulate matter control at dry bulk terminals, Tianjin Port Pacific International Container Terminal Co., Ltd. has developed an energy management and control system that centrally monitors and manages all terminal energy elements, processes, and data, providing data support for energy conservation and consumption reduction. In terms of port wastewater treatment and reuse, projects such as the Nanjing Port Longtan Container Terminal project and the Zhangjiagang Port Group's Gangsheng Bulk Cargo Terminal have built collection pools for rainwater, recycled water, and seawater, improving collection and utilization facilities and achieving a non-traditional water source utilization rate exceeding 30%. Guoneng Huanghua Port has constructed an ecological water system comprising two lakes and three wetlands, enabling rainwater collection, ballast water recovery, and graded sedimentation of coal-containing wastewater, achieving water resource recycling. The abundant, recyclable freshwater nourishes the port's green trees and flowers, attracting fish and birds, transforming the once dingy port into a vibrant "coastal garden" filled with birdsong and fragrance.
Accelerating Technological Innovation and Developing Key Green Technologies
Technological innovation is the essential path to green development. It is the fundamental way to develop new-quality productivity and achieve high-quality development, and it is also a powerful driving force for addressing ecological and environmental challenges and promoting green development. Under the "dual carbon" goals, my country's ports are leveraging technological innovation, from the development of key technologies and equipment to integrated infrastructure innovation, to continuously forge new paths in the development of smart and green ports.
Developing new energy and clean energy port equipment. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, my country achieved breakthroughs in key technologies such as the safe application of hydrogen energy in port equipment, high-thrust, fully revolving propellers, and dual-fuel engines. The Qianwan Port Area of Qingdao Port, Shandong Port, independently developed the first hydrogen-powered rail crane for actual port use. It proposed energy management methods for automated rail cranes using a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium battery energy system and a hybrid power system, and developed intelligent charging and discharging strategies to optimize power management and reduce energy consumption. Qinhuangdao Port pioneered three energy-saving technologies for dry bulk cargo loading and unloading: reverse start-up, sequential stop, and dynamic process switching. These technologies reduce the time conveyors spend inefficiently consuming energy, saving energy by over 8%. Tianjin Port developed key technologies for high-power shore power system networking, enabling simultaneous power supply to multiple small-capacity ships at multiple berths, as well as power supply to large ships at a single berth. Zhangjiagang Port Group's Gangsheng Bulk Terminal is committed to building a garden-style port that is both environmentally friendly and intelligent by establishing platforms such as dust monitoring and intelligent control systems.
Cutting-edge technologies are triggering a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. New technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data, 5G, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things, are being deeply integrated with the port industry. Innovative technologies are being developed for coordinated pollution and carbon reduction management at ports, as well as low-carbon technologies such as real-time monitoring and control of port energy consumption and carbon emissions, to achieve energy conservation, carbon reduction, and increased efficiency. Nanjing Port's Longtan Port Area container terminal leverages 5G transmission, AI algorithms, and the Internet of Things to integrate multiple factors, including personnel, equipment, operational plans, container yard spaces, and on-site transportation systems, to build an intelligent port operations model. Xiamen Port's Haicang Port Area's Far Ocean Terminal is developing a 5G-enabled, full-scenario port, achieving centimeter-level positioning accuracy for unmanned container trucks. Ningbo-Zhoushan Port utilizes a digital twin system for 3D modeling, simulating typhoon paths in real time and generating shelter plans for 2,000 ships within 30 minutes, improving decision-making efficiency by 40%.
Amidst the vast expanse of blue waters, one "zero-carbon terminal" after another is rapidly growing. When photovoltaic panels and tidal power combine to illuminate the night sky at ports, and when shore power replaces the roar of diesel engines, the world witnesses not only the "hard power" of increased throughput but also the "green wisdom" of reducing pollution and carbon emissions. Standing at the beacon of the new era, Chinese ports are enhancing the "gold content" of high-quality development through the "green content" of innovative transformation, and spreading the story of beautiful China to all corners of the world along with the global journey of containers.
