Container terminal refers to a place with clear boundaries that can accommodate a complete container loading and unloading operation process, including water areas such as harbor basin, anchorage ground, approach channel, berth, etc. and land areas such as freight station, storage yard, wharf front, office and living area, etc.

Container terminal is a hub station for land-water combined transportation, a buffer place for container goods when changing modes of transportation, and also a transfer point for goods. Therefore, container terminal occupies an important position in the whole process of container transportation.

Since its rise in the United States in April 1956, maritime container transportation has experienced more than 60 years of development.  In order to adapt to the rapid development of container transportation, many container multi-purpose and special storage yards have emerged one after another.  In the whole process of container transportation, container yard plays a very important role in improving the freight speed, speeding up the turnover of vehicles and vessels, and reducing the overall transportation cost.  Generally speaking, the container yard mainly has the following 4 functions:

(1) It has the hub function of connecting various modes of transportation;

(2) It has the conversion function of various modes of transportation;

(3) It has the functions of collecting and distributing containers and buffering containers;

(4) In the import and export trade, it is a terminal for a country and has the function of opening or closing the door.