Automated container terminals possess many water and electricity pipelines，and traditional pipeline laying method of port cannot satisfy automatic，unmanned and intensive demands of the pipeline laying in automated container terminals due to occupying large port areas，inconvenient maintenance，poor resistance to uneven settlement，etc. By analyzing the differences between utility tunnel in the port area and utility tunnel in the city area，we put forward the utility tunnel design sections in automated container terminals combining the application of the utility tunnel in the Nansha phase IV project of Guangzhou Port and automated container terminal project of Qinzhou Port. The results show that the single cabin structure form is convenient to open，which is the most applicable section form to the utility tunnel in the port engineering. This form also has strong adaptability to the areas with many pipelines and limited land use，such as general port areas，industrial zones，urban village reconstruction，etc.