definition
strict definition
container port terminal
A facility for loading and unloading large cargo containers carried by ships.
A container terminal is a facility where large cargo containers are loaded or unloaded from ships to land vehicles, for further transport. The landside transportation at these facilities is usually trains or trucks. These tend to be individual parts of a larger port, and situated near either a river or a harbor.
The cargo remains in large transport containers during the transfer between ship and landside transport. This distinguishes container handling from loading individual loose goods.
A container terminal can occupy one part of a port that also handles other cargo or passengers. The connecting land journey commonly continues by truck or train.
