Specialisation in shipping has been the most significant development in sea transport in recent times, driven by spectacular growth in international trade. Very large dry and liquid bulk carriers have appeared, and there has been a remarkable transition from conventional to what are termed unitised means of carriage in the general cargo trades. Containerisation has radically altered ocean transportation, changing trading patterns, ship routing and itineraries, ship design and size, cargo-handling equipment and operations, inland transport and freight terminals, commercial practices and customs procedures, employment and working practices, and information and communication systems. But containerisation's greatest impact has been on ports and the way they accommodate container carriers and handle their cargoes. Seaports have had to construct dedicated container terminals (operated on an exclusive, preferential, or common-user basis) and invest in specialised handling equipment to provide fast and efficient services to ship operators (Thomas, 1994). This chapter demonstrates that a modern container terminal is an enterprise where a bewildering variety of different activities take place at the same time. The main purpose of these activities is to transfer goods in containers, as quickly and efficiently as possible, between inland and maritime transport. The container terminal has a central role in the international transport of goods - it is an essential link in the transport chain. The efficiency with which the terminal carries out its function has a very significant impact on the speed, smoothness, and cost of the transportation of cargo from exporter to importer, and everyone employed in the terminal has a part to play in making the terminal work as efficiently as possible. This chapter provides a basic understanding of the role of the terminal in that transport chain.
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