The first batch of automated rail cranes in the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area arrived safely under the three-dimensional escort of Yangshan Maritime.

On the afternoon of August 31, with the Chinese deck ship "Zhenhua 32" smoothly docking at the Northwest Zone Terminal of Xiaoyangshan under the full escort of the Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration, the first batch of six automated rail-mounted gantry cranes loaded on the ship successfully began unloading. This marks a critical phase in the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area project, one of the 102 major projects in the national "14th Five-Year Plan" with a total investment of approximately 51.3 billion yuan, as it enters the stage of terminal loading and unloading equipment arrival.

The automated rail-mounted gantry cranes arriving at the port this time weigh 383 tons each and are the core equipment for achieving intelligent and automated operations in the future Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area. However, the maritime journey of these "giants" was full of challenges. According to on-site staff, after loading, the total width of the "Zhenhua 32" ship reached 54.45 meters, exceeding the port and starboard sides by more than 5 meters each, with a large windward area and extremely high maneuvering difficulty. The voyage required navigating through two major water areas, the Shanghai section of the Yangtze River and the Yangshan jurisdiction, passing through busy navigation zones such as the Baoshan North Channel and the Wusongkou restricted area, with an average daily vessel traffic of over 1,400 ships. Additionally, the destination terminal was still under construction, with dense anchor cables, and it coincided with the post-summer fishing moratorium period when fishing boats resumed operations, highlighting the risks of commercial and fishing vessel intersections and creating an extremely complex navigation environment.

To ensure the safe execution of operations, the Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration implemented "three-dimensional" safety measures. Before the ship entered the port, the administration guided the ship's crew in drafting a special navigation safety assurance plan, specifying navigation restrictions of wind force ≤7 and visibility ≥1000 meters. During the port entry process, patrol boats from the Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration provided full on-site escort, arranged three high-powered tugboats for accompaniment and berthing assistance, and the VTS center conducted focused monitoring. Considering the characteristics of oversized transport, maritime law enforcement officers urged the ship's crew to display red flags during the day and set yellow light markers at night, while assigning personnel to eliminate visual blind spots. To address the dense fishing vessel activity, they strengthened collision prevention safety reminders for commercial and fishing vessels. To ensure the safety of this navigation, the Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration specially opened a 300-meter-wide temporary channel and cleared other interfering vessels from the temporary channel. They also chose a slack tide period near high tide for rolling unloading operations, set up a safety operation zone, and prohibited other vessels from passing within 100 meters of the transport ship's outer side, ensuring the safe unloading of the six rail-mounted gantry cranes.

To support and ensure the construction of key national projects, the Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration has been making continuous efforts in the construction of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area. Since the commencement of the first batch of engineering vessels, the administration has innovatively established a "Three Alls, Three Stricts, Three Zeros" regulatory service system, forming an integrated "land, sea, and air" regulatory network and a three-tier prevention and control system. Since the beginning of this year, the maritime department has established exclusive regulatory files for all engineering vessels in the operation area, achieving comprehensive, zero-distance safety service assurance.

With the successful arrival of the first batch of automated rail-mounted gantry cranes, the construction blueprint of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area is rapidly transforming into reality. Once completed, this project will further enhance the hub capabilities of the Shanghai International Shipping Center, providing solid support for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the country's high-level opening-up.