Cargo Terminals: Types, Operations, and Handling Equipment

Posted on Apr 5, 2025 in Civil Engineering, Transportation, and Urban Services

Cargo Terminal Types and Operations

General Cargo Terminals

Classification:

  • Conventional: These are older terminals, initially not designed for unitized cargo. They feature a simple layout and generally don’t require extensive areas for cargo handling. Dimensions and installations depend on the cargo type, with open storage areas, light storage facilities, silos, and horizontal storage.

How They Operate

For loading and discharging, they use mobile shore cranes with a lifting capacity of 20-30 metric tons. Storage and interconnectivity depend on the cargo presentation, utilizing platforms, rolling cars, and reach stackers.

Equipment
  • Mobile Cranes: Operate in any berth or yard due to their mobility.
  • Forklifts: Commonly used for light general cargoes, available in electric or diesel models.

Roll On-Roll Off (Ro-Ro) Terminals

  • Ro-Pax: Ferries where cars are moved by owners, used for passenger and tourism activities.
  • Ro-Ro: Vehicles moved on platforms with their own driving system or by drivers.

Operations

Vehicles move through the vessel’s ramps, which can have one to three doors located at the bow, stern, or side.

Cargo Storage

Large storage spaces accommodate vehicles and trailers, organized as a cross-docking station, considering the origin and destination of vehicles. Some terminals include parking buildings.

Ro-Pax terminals handle both passengers and vehicles.

Manipulation Equipment
  • Mafis
  • Tugmasters
  • Tractor Units

Container Terminals

How They Operate

These terminals use various cranes for loading and unloading, such as gantry cranes or mobile cranes. Common equipment includes platforms, forklifts, reach stackers, straddle carriers, RTGs (Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes), or RMGs (Rail Mounted Gantry cranes).

Characteristics

Terminals are designed based on ship size. For example, ships between 1500 and 2500 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), with a length of 200-260 meters, require approximately 200 meters of berthing line per ship and depths of 11-14 meters.

Storage Area Extension Depends On

  • The number of containers moved annually.
  • The average waiting time of containers in storage areas.
  • The average height of container stacking.
  • The means of manipulation.

Basic Principles for Storing Containers

  • Empty and full containers are grouped separately.
  • Damaged containers are stacked in areas with RTGC equipment.
  • Empty containers are stacked in the front yard.

Four indicators locate a container in the yard: Tier, Block, Lane, and Stack.

Example: Block 3, stack 16, Lane 5, and Tier 3.

Handling Equipment

  • Gantry Crane: (Gruas pórtico de muelle)
  • Overhead Traveling Crane: (Grúas pórtico de parque) – Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes (RMG) or RTG (Rubber Tyred Gantry).
  • Straddle Carriers
  • Reach Stacker Crane