Ningbo, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, is seeking ways to make more effective use of digital technology in the operation of its ports.  

With the approach of the peak season for Christmas products, workers at the Daxie wharf of Ningbo Zhoushan Port are currently busy handling piles of export containers. The development of digital technology has made their work more effective.

"Each truck at the wharf is equipped with three 5G chips, while each frame crane is equipped with four chips. These chips have different functions, such as loading and uploading goods, positioning, inter-communication, and emergency alarms," said an official of the wharf.

According to the official, 150 trucks and 63 frame cranes are operating at the Daxie wharf. To achieve unmanned production, 678 5G chips have been installed at the wharf.

"We've also used more than 1,000 sensors on the ground, which help us position all the trucks at any time. Then we can better coordinate the operation of each truck at a lower cost.

"And workers are controlling the machines remotely. Take truck checking as an example. It used to take about three minutes for a worker to check detailed information of each truck. But with digital technology, it only takes 20 seconds. Each worker can control two machines at the same time," he added.