Unmanned cross-border transportation project starts operation at Mandula Port

The first two automated guided vehicles (AGV) loaded with imported coal recently entered China from the Khangi Port of Mongolia at the Mandula Port in Baotou. This marked the launch of the Mandula Port AGV Unmanned Cross-border Transportation Project, offering a new intelligent logistics channel in addition to the China-Mongolia ports.

The cross-border AGV unmanned transport system has received a total investment of 350 million yuan ($50.85 million). On the special port passage, the system can achieve centimeter-level positioning, automatic obstacle avoidance, and precise docking. The maximum load of a single vehicle is 80 metric tons, and the maximum speed is 25 kilometers per hour. According to on-site calculations, the one-way trip of AGVs from loading in Mongolia to arriving at the Chinese customs supervision area takes just 25 minutes, a nearly 60-percent reduction compared with traditional truck transportation.

In phase I of the project, a total of 10 AGVs will be deployed, with a 2.4-kilometer special passage and an intelligent inspection and integrated dispatching command center built. The annual customs clearance capacity is 2 million tons, which can be increased to 10 million tons in the long term.

As one of five key ports in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Mandula Port has developed into an important energy and resource channel for China's opening-up to the north. With the further development of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor in recent years, the port's freight volume has continued to rise.

The smooth customs clearance of the first batch of goods transported by cross-border AGVs has broken through the constraints presented by traditional manual driving, enabling 12 hours of uninterrupted and stable operation. This will effectively ease cross-border transportation pressure at the port and significantly improve the stability of the bulk commodity supply chain.

Mandula Port will expand the scale of AGV fleets according to operational performance and explore coordinated operations with unmanned trucks and intelligent hoisting equipment, so as to build an intelligent port ecosystem. It will also continue to improve the development of smart ports, promote the digital and green upgrading of port trade, and inject new momentum into the port's opening-up.