Built by Humans, Run by Robots: The Engineering Wonder That Is Yangshan Port

Built by Humans, Run by Robots: The Engineering Wonder That Is Yangshan Port

At Breagh, we live and breathe construction and engineering. But every now and then, we come across a project that makes even the most seasoned professionals stop and go: How on earth did they build that?

Enter Yangshan Port. The largest deep-water container port in the world. Built on a man-made island. Run by robots. And yes, it’s real.

Here’s what makes it a jaw-dropper:

1. It’s floating. Kind of.
   Yangshan Port is located on islands in the East China Sea, about 30 kilometres from mainland Shanghai. To connect it to land, they built a 32-kilometre sea bridge, the Donghai Bridge, which was the longest sea bridge in the world when it opened. It still holds the title for the longest dedicated road to a port.
   
   

2. It’s basically a robot city
   Most of the terminal operations at Yangshan are fully automated. Think autonomous straddle carriers, computer-guided cranes, driverless container trucks and AI systems directing it all. Human staff monitor and maintain the systems, but the heavy lifting? All robots.
   
   

3. It’s built for beasts
   The port can handle the biggest container ships in the world – the kind that carry over 20,000 containers at once. At full tilt, Yangshan processes over 40 million containers a year. That’s almost 110,000 per day. Just think of the logistics.
   
   

4. It’s a construction feat
   Building on the sea is no joke. Engineers had to tackle typhoon risks, strong tides and soft seabed conditions. The solution? Reinforced land reclamation, deep foundations, and smart structural design. And yes, they finished it on time.
   
   

5. The scale is mind-bending
   The automated section alone covers over 2 million square metres. That’s about 280 football pitches of robot-run infrastructure. And it works 24/7. No tea breaks. No traffic. No excuses.

Why are we talking about this?

Because it’s brilliant. Because whether you’re a PM in Limerick or a Site Engineer in Leipzig, it’s a reminder of what this industry can do. The skills you use every day, planning, coordination, groundworks, logistics, are the same ones that make projects like Yangshan possible. Just on a completely different scale.

And sometimes, it’s nice to be reminded that we’re part of something bigger.

 

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Why Breagh Recruitment?

At Breagh Recruitment, we don’t just match CVs to jobs. We partner with skilled professionals and ambitious companies across Ireland and Europe to deliver permanent roles that align with real career goals and project demands. With over 20 years of construction and engineering recruitment experience, we understand your world, speak your language, and work quickly, discreetly and professionally. Whether you're hiring or job hunting, you're in good hands.