Port equipment lines the dock, and gantry cranes tower next to wind turbines at the Meishan port area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. [Photo/Yongpai app]

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province is rapidly advancing toward a world-class, sustainable port through green energy, smart technologies, and low-carbon operations.

At Meishan terminal, the province's first fully green-powered container quay, five megawatt-class wind turbines generate enough electricity each day to fully power a berthed container ship. The terminal has generated over 50 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity to date, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25,800 metric tons.

High-voltage shore power now covers the port's Beilun, Chuanshan, Meishan, and Daxie areas, allowing large vessels to plug in directly and replace fuel-based power. In the first eleven months of this year, 13 shore power systems supplied 8.6 million kilowatt-hours, reducing fuel consumption by more than 2,000 metric tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 5,700 metric tons.

Innovative technologies, including 5G, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, artificial intelligence, and digital twins, are now widely applied across all terminals. In Meishan, 102 autonomous electric yard trucks operate in coordinated fleets — the largest of their kind in China — while gantry cranes and other equipment undergo electrification and digital upgrades.

Over the past decade, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has combined green initiatives with smart operations, doubling container throughput from 20 million to 40 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), ranking third globally. Cleaner air, advanced technology, and growing green capabilities are helping the port shape a sustainable and intelligent future for global shipping.