Construction officially began on December 12 to see the development of Qingdao's first advanced pilotage base built to international standards: the Qingdao Dongjiakou Port Area Pilotage Base project. As a priority and key supporting project for the Dongjiakou Supply Chain Integrated Services Park, the facility will significantly enhance safety assurance for the pilotage of large vessels, improve port navigational efficiency, and drive the intelligent upgrading of pilotage services. Once completed, it will provide solid support for the efficient operation of 93 future berths in the port area and inject strong momentum into the development of Qingdao as an international shipping center.

The Dongjiakou Port Area Pilotage Base project is a key measure to fully implement the Qingdao Port Master Plan (2035) and the Mid-Term Plan and 2035 Vision for the Development of Qingdao International Shipping Centre, while also serving as an important support for upgrading the port area's functional capacity and advancing national development strategies. With a total floor area of 14,000 square meters, the project is scheduled for completion and commissioning in June 2026.

In recent years, the rapid development of the Dongjiakou port area has sharply increased pilotage workloads while operations under complex weather conditions and advances in vessel technology have placed higher demands on pilotage safety, technical capability, and personnel competence. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need for a high-standard, modern, and intelligent pilotage base that integrates safety assessment, ship-handling simulation, and education and training. With a focus on the port area's growing demand for pilotage services, the project will leverage Dongjiakou Port's strategic location and resource advantages to develop a world-class pilotage infrastructure to address the challenges of piloting large vessels, improve navigational efficiency, further amplify the port's strengths and shipping functions, enhance safe and efficient port operations, and enable the upgrading of smart pilotage services so as to provide robust safeguards for port safety and support the development of a world-class marine port.

The project is not only a key initiative by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Transportation to optimize the port's functional layout for the purpose of strengthening pilotage support capacity, but also a concrete action to serve national strategies and promote high-quality regional economic development. As a priority project of the Dongjiakou Supply Chain Integrated Services Park, it will also provide a model for subsequent development and help align pilotage services more closely with overall port growth. Looking ahead, the Dongjiakou Port Area is expected to see enhanced comprehensive service capabilities to provide stronger support for building a modern shipping services system and developing an international hub seaport once the pilotage base is completed and commissioned.