Qingdao Automated Container Terminal has reportedly begun using a vacuum-based automatic mooring terminal system, according to news media Port Technology.
The system apparently was put into live commercial service on January 1, 2026 and was inaugurated by securing a 366m container ships with high-vacuum suction units that automatically atached to the side of the ship’s hull in less than 30 seconds and without conventional mooring ropes or quay-side line handlers, the news site reported. It added that mooring normally takes 20 to 30 minutes.
It was reported that 13 vacuum mooring units were installed along the berth that together were capable of applying 2,600 kilonewtons of force.
Shipping Australia has been unable to verify the details of this story, the original version of which can be accessed here at the Port Technology International website.
