Looking back from Haimen, we see thousands of peaks rising; the port stands proudly, its waters flowing endlessly for ten thousand miles. As the first rays of morning sunlight spill onto the sea, shimmering in the rippling waves, Tianjin Port once again embarks on a day of bustling activity—welcoming and processing countless cargoes, its currents flowing ceaselessly onward.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, Tianjin has deeply implemented the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping—“We must aim high and strive to build a world-class smart port and a green port, so as to better serve the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative.” With vigorous determination and steady progress, Tianjin is accelerating its efforts to become a world-class port.
We will build a first-class green and smart hub port, actively promote the development of Tianjin as a northern international shipping hub, create a high-level “maritime gateway” for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and jointly build a high-quality open platform under the Belt and Road Initiative. By precisely defining our role, we will serve national strategies and integrate into the new development paradigm through transformation and upgrading.
From breaking through the earth to the surging tides, from vigorous currents to setting sail with determined strokes—Tianjin, located by the Bohai Sea, has thrived and continued to flourish precisely because of its port.
From a humble beginning to leading with wisdom, from radiating in all directions to connecting Tianjin with the world—backed by the city of Tianjin, Tianjin Port is thriving, growing stronger and enduring ever more prosperous.
Transforming through “intelligence” to achieve qualitative change: A self-reliant and strong smart port.
Driving into Section C of the intelligent container terminal in the Beijiang Port Area of Tianjin Port, amidst the azure sea and sky, the colorful terminal has already entered “high-efficiency operation mode”—12 automated quay cranes stand tall, efficiently loading and unloading containers from giant vessels arriving from around the globe; 76 intelligent horizontal transport robots shuttle back and forth; and 42 automated yard cranes operate smoothly...
On October 17, 2021, Tianjin became the site of the world’s first “smart, zero-carbon” terminal, which has now gone into operation. What would have taken several years abroad was accomplished by Tianjin Port in just one year and nine months, achieving numerous global firsts along the way. The terminal won the Global Mobile Awards at the 2022 World Mobile Congress and is setting a new standard, leading the global trend toward intelligent upgrades in port operations with its groundbreaking model.
Despite the challenging global economic environment and recurring COVID-19 outbreaks in many parts of China, this terminal continues to set new records for operational efficiency, maintaining a month-on-month throughput growth rate of over 20% since the beginning of this year.
Yet just a few years ago, this area was nothing more than an idle cargo yard within the port district. At that time, Tianjin Port was still undergoing large-scale development, consolidation into alliances, and automation.
Continuously exploring new trends and accelerating our pace on the “exam” of shifting development models and optimizing structural layouts.
With aspirations reaching far and wide, boldly scaling new heights, this century-old port—a once-great hub no longer chasing the crude “scale effect”—is now surging forward in an era of transformation driven by “intelligence” and innovation, ushering in a new chapter of high-quality development that resonates with the rhythm of time and the turning of the sun and moon.
“Over the past few years, we have kept in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping’s earnest instructions and actively integrated into the construction of ‘Tianjin Smart Port.’ We’ve continuously deepened the integration of next-generation information technologies—such as 5G, the internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain—with all aspects of the port industry, contributing the ‘Tianjin Solution’ to the global smart transformation of ports,” said Wang Xuan, General Manager of the Science and Technology Facilities Department of Tianjin Port Group.
From the completion of the world’s first fully automated upgrade and transformation of the entire yard rail bridge at a single-container-terminal, to the full completion of the world’s pioneering project for the end-to-end automation upgrade of a conventional container terminal—each milestone reflects groundbreaking innovation and leadership. From the launch of smart platforms such as the Port-Gate-Collection & Distribution Platform, which have expanded business models like “direct pickup from shipside” and “direct loading upon arrival,” to achieving a 96% direct berthing rate for foreign-trade container vessels and attaining globally leading operational efficiency—time and again, trailblazing “innovations” and “firsts” have emerged one after another. The remarkable achievements in Tianjin Port’s smart port development have drawn worldwide attention, and the “Tianjin Port Efficiency” brand has earned a stellar reputation on the global stage.
In 2021, despite the impact of the pandemic and disruptions in international maritime transport, Tianjin Port handled a cargo throughput of 529 million tons, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.3%. Container throughput reached 20.27 million TEUs, up 10.4% over the previous year. In particular, container throughput has increased by nearly 70% compared to ten years ago.
In the first eight months of this year, Tianjin Port Group once again achieved “double growth” against the trend, handling a cargo throughput of 320 million tons, up 3.1% year-on-year, and completing a container throughput of 14.53 million TEUs, up 4.1% year-on-year.
Zhang Baoyi, President of the Tianjin Sociological Society, pointed out that to fully harness the powerful strategic role of Tianjin Port as a core resource, Tianjin’s commitment and actions in proactively integrating into the national strategy, stabilizing the overall national economy, and making every effort to build itself into a pivotal node for the “dual circulation” strategy—both domestically and internationally—are increasingly anticipated.
Pursuing development through low carbon emissions—green ports with blue skies and clear waters.
Step into an unassuming building at the Tianjin Port coal terminal, and behind a highly futuristic automatic door lies the terminal’s intelligent integrated control center. With a gentle click of the mouse and coordinated communication via walkie-talkie, coal is automatically loaded and unloaded.
“In 2017, Tianjin Port fully promoted the ‘shift from road to rail’ and ‘from bulk to containerized’ initiatives. We carried out intelligent upgrades to our terminals and invested nearly 200 million yuan to complete environmental upgrades such as installing spray systems in the hopper pits of car dumpers, enclosing weight-adjustment areas along conveyor belts, and constructing windbreak nets. Now, coal can be loaded onto trains in a completely ‘closed’ system from the moment it’s unloaded from ships,” said Guan Kun, Deputy General Manager of Tianjin Port Coal Terminal Company.
Tianjin Port is a major coal-handling port. Once upon a time, operations here were conducted in the open air, with dust flying everywhere, and coal transport trucks often came in as “white vehicles” and left as “black vehicles.” Today, although this port still plays a crucial role in China’s “north-to-south coal transportation,” it has long since transformed into a place where “coal is transported without ever seeing coal itself”—with clear waters reflecting the blue sky.
In the view of Chu Bin, Chairman of Tianjin Port Group, greenness is not only the inherent nature of ports but also the foundational color for their development. “Over the years, we have thoroughly implemented the important instructions and guiding principles delivered during General Secretary Xi Jinping’s inspection, as well as the decisions and deployments made by the municipal Party committee and municipal government. We are fully committed to building an inherently safe and green development model, continuously promoting the construction of green ports that integrate both land and sea, and actively striving to create a nationally exemplary green port.”
A thousand sails race forward with majestic momentum.
Focusing on green development and aiming for “dual carbon” goals, over the past few years, a series of top-level designs have been rolled out one after another; clean energy technologies have been successively put into practice; dedicated railway lines have been commissioned one by one; and the intelligent transformation of terminals handling coal, ores, and other bulk cargoes has completely reshaped traditional bulk cargo transportation...
Today, Tianjin Port is actively developing into a dual demonstration port featuring “road-to-rail transport plus bulk-to-container conversion.” The proportion of iron ore transported by rail has reached 65%, placing it among the top ports nationwide. All berthed port operation vessels now use shore power exclusively, and the rate of using low-sulfur fuel on ships has reached 100%. The country’s first smart atmospheric environmental monitoring platform has achieved full coverage across the entire port. Moreover, the world’s first zero-carbon terminal—a smart green energy system—has been connected to the grid and has been generating electricity for nearly nine months, with a cumulative output of approximately 17.5 million kilowatt-hours. This has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by over 18,000 tons and saved more than 5,200 tons of standard coal.
Almost every day, Zhang Zhiqiang, a ore-handling worker at Rongcheng Group, and his colleagues wait for the special trains arriving from Tianjin Port. “Currently, most of the ore transported from Tianjin Port is carried by rail directly into the plant—roughly four trains per day. Last August, our city launched a pilot program for the large-scale use of hydrogen-powered container trucks between Rongcheng Group and Tianjin Port. We estimate that rail transport will reduce automobile trips by nearly 20,000 annually, and after one year of operation, these hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks have already helped cut carbon dioxide emissions by 633.7 tons,” said a relevant official from Rongcheng Group.
A chart showing Tianjin Port’s carbon emission intensity since 2012 reveals that, over the past decade, while the port’s container throughput has increased by nearly 70%, its carbon emission intensity has dropped by 16%. The remarkable achievements of Tianjin Port’s green-port development—reflected in this one rise and one fall—are self-evident.
Using hubs to foster collaboration—Tianxia Port connects Tianjin to the world.
Not long ago, just after the hour of Zi (around midnight), the Eurasia International Container Terminal at Tianjin Port was brightly lit. Twenty-seven containers belonging to Shanghai Puhai Shipping Company were neatly stacked aboard a foreign-trade container ship named “Mediterranean Mondra.” As a single blast of the ship’s whistle cut through the night sky, the cargo vessel set sail for the night. “This shipment consists of glass products made in Hebei Province. After transiting through Tianjin Port, they will be exported to destinations including South Korea, Chile, and Brazil,” said Li Meng, deputy manager of the terminal operations department.
Meanwhile, two more feeder cargo vessels serving the Bohai Sea region have successively set sail for the Beijiang Port Area of Tianjin Port, docking at Tianjin Port Container Terminal and Tianjin Port Alliance International Container Terminal. Operations have begun, with vehicles shuttling back and forth; under the night sky, Tianjin Port is bustling as if it were broad daylight.
What appears to be ordinary cargo handling actually showcases Tianjin’s remarkable achievements in leveraging its role as a port hub to serve the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and connect the world.
“During his inspection of the Tianjin Port terminal, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to better serve the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Chu Bin. “This has enabled Tianjin Port to find a new direction within the nation’s strategic framework.”
Fully leveraging its resource endowments and actively fulfilling its mission to support national strategies, Tianjin Port proactively aligns itself with its positioning as a northern international shipping hub in Tianjin, making every effort to build itself into a comprehensive hub port that connects both domestic and international networks.
Hai Xiang is focusing on integrating global resources to develop container shipping routes, actively promoting differentiated development of Tianjin and Hebei ports as well as close cooperation between northern and southern ports. This effort aims to establish a coordinated network of trunk and feeder container lines, characterized by clear division of labor and complementary advantages. Currently, there are over 130 container shipping routes, with more than 550 weekly sailings, maintaining trade relations with over 800 ports in more than 200 countries and regions worldwide.
Lu Xiang has laid out a network of over 120 directly operated and franchised stores, established 40 marketing outlets in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and streamlined more than 40 sea-rail intermodal transport routes as well as several international land bridge transportation corridors, thereby creating a new maritime channel for exporting western China’s foreign trade goods. The Tianjin Port’s demonstration project for multimodal container transport along the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor has been recognized as a national demonstration project.
As a logistics network radiating inland and covering the globe becomes increasingly dense, Tianjin Port is deepening its service to the new development paradigm and actively supporting the “dual circulation” strategy, gaining even greater confidence and stronger momentum.
Ren Wei, Deputy General Manager of the Business Department at Tianjin Port Co., Ltd., introduced that currently, 70% of Tianjin Port’s foreign trade container volume originates from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Over the past three years, the average growth rate of intra-Bohai Sea feeder routes has reached 37.5%. Ports along the Belt and Road initiative account for more than 60% of the total throughput. In the first half of this year, intermodal rail-sea transport handled 628,000 TEUs, representing a year-on-year increase of 25.5%. Cross-border land bridge freight volumes continue to lead all coastal ports nationwide. At Tianjin Port, the number of China-Europe freight train departures has exceeded 500, up 79% year-on-year, placing Tianjin among the top performers nationwide in terms of growth rate.
Only from the summit of towering mountains can one witness the mighty rivers rushing forth; only atop a range of peaks can one truly feel the vast, sweeping power of the long winds.
“Looking ahead, we will always keep in mind the earnest instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and, with greater determination, build a world-class green port; with cutting-edge technology, create a world-class smart port; and with a broader vision, develop a world-class hub port. We will continue to strengthen our capabilities in serving industrial and supply chains, and strive to transform Tianjin Port into a world-class smart and green port that features a well-rounded system, highly efficient services, and integrated port-city development. In doing so, we will provide strong support for building a northern international shipping hub, promoting high-quality regional economic development, and fostering the establishment of a new pattern of comprehensive opening-up.” Chu
Bin stated.
