During the Spring Festival holiday, Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area kept operating without a single day off, as remote operators and port staff members worked around the clock to ensure global supply chains remained stable and efficient.

Port operations continue through the night at Yangshan Deep-Water Port. [Photo/Wenhui Daily]

In January, Shanghai Port handled 5.06 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 1.3 percent year-on-year, setting a new monthly record. Among the ports, Yangshan Port's Phase IV, the world's largest single automated terminal, recorded a 6.5 percent year-on-year increase in throughput.

Behind the record-breaking figures are relentless upgrades to automation. At Lin-gang's Global Maritime Service Hub, remote operator Huang Hua sat before a large screen, guiding massive equipment at Yangshan Port's Phase IV more than 40 kilometers away with fluid, precise movements.

"This Spring Festival was especially busy," Huang said. "But with the Lingang Center now in operation, many colleagues no longer need to travel more than 60 kilometers to reach the island."

The automated terminal runs around the clock, processing about 24,000 TEUs a day, which is 213 percent of the productivity of a conventional terminal. Backed by fifth-generation fixed network technology, the Lingang Center and on-site control systems work in tandem, keeping container handling orderly and boosting overall port efficiency.

Yangshan Port's Phase III also crossed a milestone in 2025, surpassing 10 million TEUs for the first time, making it the second terminal at Shanghai Port to reach that threshold. Since the new year, port staff members have pushed through cold snaps and mounting global trade uncertainty — and kept setting records.