Container terminal

A port facility that transfers standardized freight containers between ships and land transport. It combines berths, cranes, storage yards, and connections to road or rail.

Ship-to-shore gantry crane: A large quay crane that lifts containers between a ship and the terminal’s waterside transport. It performs the terminal’s central ship-to-shore transfer.
Intermodal container: A standardized reusable freight container designed to move between ships, trains, and trucks without unloading its contents. Its dimensions and fittings let terminal equipment transfer it across transport modes.
Transshipment: The transfer of cargo from one vessel or transport service to another before reaching its destination. Some terminals specialize in shifting containers between connecting ships.
Containerization: The use of standardized containers to transport goods across ships, trains, and trucks. Container terminals are the infrastructure that makes containerization work at seaports.
Container yard: A storage area where containers are stacked and organized before onward transport or loading aboard a ship. It holds boxes between their quay transfer and land or sea journey.
Twenty-foot equivalent unit: A unit of capacity equal to one standard 20-foot-long intermodal container. Terminals use it to express container throughput and ship or yard capacity.
Container port: A seaport whose facilities and operations are primarily organized around containerized cargo. A container terminal may be one facility within a larger container port.
Port automation: The use of automated equipment and software to perform or coordinate port operations. Automated cranes and vehicles can change terminal capacity, staffing, and operating patterns.
Straddle carrier: A mobile machine that straddles and carries containers, often moving them between a quay and storage area. It is one way terminals move containers within the facility.
International Convention for Safe Containers: A 1972 international treaty establishing safety requirements and inspection rules for freight containers. Its safety regime applies to containers handled and stored at terminals.

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