In 1892, the Qing government built two wharves in Qingdao Bay and in 1901, Qingdao was built as a large port. 1976, Qingdao port started its first container service and in early 1992, Qingdao port opened its first international shipping line and docked its first third generation container ship. 24 February 2002, Qingdao port opened its international container service to West Asia].
According to the comprehensive information in 2004, the port of Qingdao covers an area of 420 square kilometres and is divided into four main areas: Dagang Port, Zhonggang Port, Huangdao Oil Port and Qianwan Port. Qingdao Port covers Shandong Province, radiates along the Yellow River and reaches the Central Asian region directly. As of 2011, Qingdao Port has 18 terminals and 69 berths. By the end of 2018, Qingdao Port had more than 160 container routes. 2019, Qingdao Port’s cargo throughput exceeded 515 million tons, up 6.1% year-on-year, and container throughput 21.01 million TEU, up 8.8% year-on-year; achieved operating revenue of 12.164 billion yuan, up 3.6% year-on-year; net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies was 3.790 billion yuan, up 5.5%.
On 11 May 2017, the first phase of the fully automated container terminal project of Qingdao Port was put into commercial operation. Compared with traditional manual terminals, the first phase of the project has increased operational efficiency by 30% and reduced labour by 80%, exceeding the level of automation of world-class ports such as the Port of Rotterdam
On 28 November 2019, the fully automated terminal (Phase II) at Qingdao Port, a Shandong port, went into operation. The second phase of the project, which was put into operation, has a shoreline length of 660m, 2 berths, a design throughput capacity of 1.7 million TEU/year, and is equipped with 9 double trolley shore bridges (STS), 38 high-speed rail cranes (ASC) and 45 automated guided vehicles (L-AGV).
On March 12, 2022, during the operation of the vessel “Riposte Venus”, the single crane operating efficiency of the automated terminal at Qingdao Port reached 52.7 natural containers per hour, setting a new world record for the eighth time in terms of loading and unloading efficiency.
Since November 2022, Shandong Port of Qingdao has maintained an efficient organization of ship calls and departures, with good results at all operating terminals. From November 5 to 6, the oil port company successively completed the efficient production of day and night ships with 11 berthing and 12 departure and 11 berthing and 9 departure.
