New automated mooring system and spreader from ZPMC

Port equipment manufacturing giant ZPMC has announced it will introduce 20 new products in 2026, including a fully-electric twin lift crane spreader and a new automated vacuum mooring system.

ZPMC is one of, if not the largest single producer of STS crane spreaders today, has expanded its offering with a new “fully electric” twin lift spreader for STS cranes. Few details are available at this point, other than that the spreader features fully electric drives for the flippers and telescoping mechanism, and has an SWL of 65t in twin-lift mode.

ZPMC’s new “automated mooring system” uses vacuum pads to moor a vessel at the quay in place of traditional mooring lines. It is designed to safely secure a vessel in under 30 seconds and release the ship in under 15 seconds. ZPMC’s entry into this market follows the deployment of the first vacuum-based automated mooring system at the Port of Qingdao in January 2026.

That system was supplied by Trelleborg to the Shandong Port Group Qingdao Port and has since generated considerable interest in China. As China moves to embrace port automation, the arrival of vacuum mooring was celebrated in China as “the first full-process unmanned operation of a container vessel, covering navigation, berthing and cargo handling.”

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