Shanghai's Yangshan Deep-Water Port posted a record first-half throughput of 15.19 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) this year, up 8.11 percent year on year.

The growth was backed by the local maritime safety administration's efforts to advance traffic coordination, smart supervision, severe-weather response, and administrative reforms.

Yangshan Deep-Water Port is packed with containers. [Photo/Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration]

To manage dense vessel arrivals, the administration implemented an innovative all-tide berthing system that enables six large container ships to berth and depart in a coordinated sequence. The system saves an average of two hours per vessel by eliminating traditional tidal restrictions.

Digital supervision also improved with the introduction of the first-generation "VTS Genie" AI assistant. By integrating nautical charts, navigation rules, and automatic identification system data, it provides 24-hour predictive traffic control and graded alerts for risks such as route deviations and close-quarter encounters.

Moreover, the administration strengthened its response to typhoons and severe convective weather, helping vessels take shelter in an orderly manner and resume operations quickly. 

Service reforms, including a simplified clearance process for water-to-water transshipment that allows containers to clear customs with a single declaration, have shortened declaration times and lowered logistics costs.