"Along the 660-metre shoreline, the terminal owns two berths and has high-end automated facilities including nine ship-to-shore cranes, 38 automatic high-speed tract cranes and 45 automatic guided vehicles," said Qingdao Port Automated Container Terminal Co executive deputy general-manager Yang Jiemin, reported Hellenic Shipping News.

It took just 18 months to build the terminal, five times faster than it usually takes, said Mr Yang.

The rail-mounted gantry cranes at the terminal are driven by a hydrogen battery pack, which Qingdao port claimed was the first used in the port sector worldwide. The new energy replaces coal and oil and produces more electricity with zero carbon dioxide emissions, said engineer Lyu Xiangdong.

"What's more, the new method reduced the weight of the facility by 10 tons and lowered its complexity as well as maintenance costs," said Mr Lyu.

He added that the hydrogen is mainly leftover from chemical enterprises in Shandong province and it is a perfect way to turn waste into a resource.

The port operators estimated that the hydrogen energy could reduce electricity consumption by 3.6 per cent for carrying every container and save 20 per cent of the cost of purchasing every unit of power equipment.

If this terminal handles an annual throughput of three million TEU, it would reduce 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 697 tons of sulphur dioxide discharges.

The automation at the terminal has been enlarged by application of 5G technology, "which has covered every corner of the terminal," said Qingdao Port Automated Container Terminal Co. deputy general manager Li Yongcui.