Container terminal and yard layout
This domain tests whether you can read a terminal layout and explain why each zone is where it is, and which rules apply when you move between zones. Exam questions often describe a proposed activity and ask where it should or should not take place.
The main zones
- Waterside: berth, fenders and mooring dolphins, quay edge, STS crane rails, apron, and the backreach where the crane rear structure and counterweight travel.
- Yard: import and export blocks worked by rubber-tyred or rail-mounted gantry cranes, empty container stacks, reefer racks, the dangerous goods compound, and the container freight station.
- Landside and support: gatehouse, weighbridges, workshop, fuelling point, first-aid room, muster points and fire water supplies.
Position naming
A container position is given as block, bay (along the block), row (across the block) and tier (height). This address is used by the terminal operating system, in radio instructions and in incident reports. Row numbering conventions differ between terminals, so confirm the local convention before directing a driver.
Layout rules that create safety
- Ground bearing capacity and settlement limit stack height; only paved, engineered areas carry stacks.
- Crane runways and travel paths must stay clear. The area under and between the legs of an RTG or RMG is a controlled zone that pedestrians enter only under a defined procedure.
- Internal tractor routes need turning radii for a 40 ft trailer and should be one-way wherever possible, avoiding reversing across walkways.
- Reefer racks need service access to machinery ends; the DG compound needs segregation distances, spill containment and fire access.
- Lighting, drainage, wind exposure and evacuation routes all constrain where activities can be placed.
Worked example
A planner proposes a temporary lashing-material store in the corner of a yard block. Check four things: is it inside an RTG travel path or turning area; does it block the reefer service aisle; does it obstruct fire access or a hydrant; does it remove or narrow a marked pedestrian route. Only if all four are clear is the location approved, then fenced and marked.
Traps that cost marks
- Forgetting that the crane backreach projects behind the quay line.
- Assuming any flat, hard area is suitable for stacking.
- Overlooking evacuation routes and fire appliance access when siting temporary facilities.