Source: Adapted from Drewry Shipping Consultants and Port Equipment Manufacturers Association.
Up to the late 2000s, only a few terminals implemented automation strategies since they involved unproven technologies with high capital cost and risk. Then, from the early 2010s, the number of automated terminals increased rapidly as equipment was standardized and automation costs declined. Since then, there has been a steady increase in the number of automated terminals, but automation remains a capital-intensive endeavor. As of 2022, 66 terminals were partially or fully automated, totalling for than 5,000 hectares of terminal surface.