China Customs' Study of Strong Nation Number: Improving Efficiency with "Intelligence" Ningbo Customs takes the Lead in Using "Robot Dogs" to Assist in Heavy Container Inspection

Heavy box inspection assistance robot carries out remote assisted unpacking operation - taking overall photos of the goods after the box door is opened. Chen Yi/Photo
　　
Author: Guo Ziyi, Chu Xingxing, Wang Tong
　　
Recently, on the platform of the second phase inspection site in Meishan Port Area, Zhoushan Port, Ningbo, an auxiliary robot equipped with a high-definition camera (also known as a "robot dog") is steadily inspecting along a predetermined route. It deftly shuttles between containers, occasionally stopping and casting its gaze towards the container body, identifying the container number and seal number, and automatically comparing it with the declared data to see if it is consistent. This is the operational scenario of the inspection assistance robot developed by Meishan Customs, a subsidiary of Ningbo Customs. It is also the first exploration and application of heavy box inspection assistance robots in national seaports and ports.
Meishan Port Area is the fastest-growing single container terminal in Ningbo Zhoushan Port, with a container throughput exceeding 13 million TEUs by 2025. In January of this year, the container throughput of Meishan Port exceeded 1.31 million TEUs, breaking the monthly throughput record of a single container terminal in Ningbo Zhoushan Port.
Along with the rapid growth of container throughput in Meishan Port Area, there has been a significant increase in the inspection business volume of Meishan Customs. To this end, Meishan Customs actively explores the inspection assistance robot project, using technological means to break through regulatory bottlenecks, improve customs clearance efficiency, and apply auxiliary robots to heavy box inspection.
It is understood that the heavy box inspection auxiliary robot is an intelligent equipment designed specifically for customs inspection scenarios, equipped with RTK high-precision positioning module, laser radar, angle radar perception module, and 5G communication module. Through the integration of advanced technology, robots can achieve centimeter level positioning accuracy and stably transmit data in complex environments. Its visual recognition system is based on advanced AI visual modeling algorithms, which can automatically recognize container numbers and seals. Even under poor lighting conditions, the recognition accuracy remains above 99%. At present, the inspection assistance robot has achieved functions such as assisting in opening the box door, site inspection, and accompanying supervision, significantly improving the efficiency of inspection operations and effectively preventing risks such as unauthorized entry into the site and replacement of hidden goods. After the application was launched, the completion rate of container dumping at Meishan Customs inspection site increased from 60% to 90%, and the completion rate of customs officers' inspection increased from 40% to 80%.
Our department manages over 100 container berths, all of which are currently operating at full capacity. In the past, manual unpacking required 4 to 6 customs officers to work for more than an hour. Now, with the application of inspection assistance robots, all container unpacking operations can be completed in just 20 minutes, greatly saving a lot of labor costs, "said Chen Yi, Deputy Director of Meishan Customs Inspection Department 2.
The inspection assistance robot frees customs officers from repetitive and high-intensity physical labor, allowing them to focus more on risk analysis and precise supervision. Before the application of the 'robotic dog', we need 2 to 3 groups of customs officers to complete the verification and confirmation of the container and seal number separately. Now, with the cooperation of the robotic dog, only 1 group of customs officers is needed for review, "said Zhang Wenzhi, a customs officer from Meishan Customs Inspection Department
Li Haijie, a customs declarer at Ningbo Yuhe Supply Chain Co., Ltd., has been in the industry for many years. His main job is to cooperate with customs officers to carry out cargo inspections. As a witness to the development of smart customs, he happily said, "Now that there are inspection assistance robots, the connection between customs and port operations is closer, and our cargo clearance time has been significantly shortened
The exploration and application of inspection assistance robots have brought about a 'digital intelligence' efficiency revolution, which is a beneficial attempt to combine artificial intelligence technology with customs business, "said the person in charge of Meishan Customs." In the future, we will continue to explore the application of inspection assistance robots in inspection work, deeply integrate new technologies such as AI big models and multimodal analysis, achieve data sharing and intelligent scheduling, and inject new strength into the construction of smart customs. ”
Source: Ningbo Customs