Source: Data from Rodrigue, J-P (2025) “A Systemic Analysis of Container Terminal Layouts”, Journal of Shipping and Trade, Vol. 10, No. 4, https://doi.org/10.1186/s41072-025-00194-3.
An inventory of container terminal automation reveals a rapidly evolving situation. Although the information is likely incomplete, 76 container terminals worldwide were having a form of operational automation as of 2025. Considering that there are about 850 container terminals of relevant size and function, this represents 9.0% of all main container terminals but 14.7% of the total global footprint in terms of hectares. While the average container terminal size was 51.7 hectares, it was 74.7 hectares for automated terminals, underscoring the scale advantage of automation.
Three distinct categories of operational terminal automation stand out:
- Semi-automated. The most common form that involves automating the vertical movements in stacking yards, with 50 reported facilities. With a mean size of 61.1 hectares, these terminals are larger than the average container terminal.
- Fully automated. Horizontal and vertical terminal movements are automated, which involves substantially larger terminals with a mean of 99.7 hectares.
- Completely automated. In addition to automating horizontal and vertical movements, these terminals also have either remote-controlled or automated ship-to-shore cranes. These terminals are about the same average size (92.0 hectares) as those that are fully automated.