A marine terminal is a port facility for loading and unloading cargo, with equipment for storage and handling. Berthing facilities allow ships to be moored, and cranes and hoists can aid in cargo handling. Container terminals are common, and personnel assist with operations. Offshore terminals are used in some regions, particularly for oil tankers.
A marine terminal is a facility in a port where cargo is handled. The terminals contain equipment for loading and unloading cargo together with facilities for the storage of said cargo. Manufacturing and processing facilities are often located near a marine terminal, but are not technically considered part of the terminal. Marine terminals are sometimes referred to as piers.
When the ships arrive at the port, they need an area to secure in order to load and unload them. Berthing facilities at a marine terminal allow a ship to be moored for this purpose. While many ships have cargo handling equipment on board, for large and specialty cargo, cranes and hoists at a marine terminal may be helpful or necessary. They can also facilitate extremely fast loading and unloading, allowing ships to be processed quickly.
Temporary cargo storage is also a common need, whether the cargo is waiting for a ship to arrive or the next stage of transportation after it has been unloaded. Today, many ports have extensive container terminals, marine terminals designed specifically for handling containers and their cargoes. These include storage areas for shipping containers, both full and empty. Specialized cargo that cannot fit in containers or is being transported for other needs may also have some unique storage needs, such as climate-controlled storage, another feature available at many marine terminals.
Marine terminal personnel help secure ships to dock, run cargo-moving equipment, and assist with cargo storage. Marine terminal operations can occur day or night and are often dependent on a fluctuating workforce. People who are interested in jobs on any given day show up at the gates to see if any ships have arrived that need to be loaded or unloaded. They may need to be certified as dockhands or unionists, depending on the port and its policies.
In some regions of the world, it is possible to find offshore terminals. This is more common in oil-producing nations, where large tankers are too large to reach port and are instead loaded and unloaded offshore. These marine terminals can accommodate several large ships at once and are continually replenished to ensure tankers can always be filled. For people who need to go ashore, boats often run back and forth between the terminal and shore and transportation can be arranged.
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