A container port or container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transported between different vehicles, for later transfer. Transshipment can be between container ships and land vehicles, such as trains or trucks, in which case the terminal is described as a sea container port. Alternatively, transshipment may be between land vehicles, typically between trains and trucks, in which case the terminal is described as an inland container port.

In November 1932, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company opened the world's first inland container port in Enola, Pennsylvania.[1]

Port Newark-Elizabeth") on Newark Bay in the Port of New York and New Jersey is considered the world's first container seaport. On April 26, 1956, the Ideal The concept had been developed by McLean Trucking Company and on August 15, 1962, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey opened the world's first container port, Elizabeth Marine Terminal.[2]​.

Container seaports tend to be part of a larger port, and these seaports are usually located around major ports in countries. Inland container ports tend to be located near major cities, with good rail connections to sea container ports.

It is common for cargo arriving at a container port on a single ship to be distributed across multiple modes of transportation for delivery to inland customers. According to a manager at the port of Rotterdam, it may be a fairly typical way for the cargo of a large 18,000 TEU container ship to be distributed across 19 container trains (74 TEU each), 32 barges (97 TEU each) and 1,560 trucks (1.6 TEU each, on average).[3]

Sea and land container ports typically provide storage facilities for both loaded containers and empty containers. Loaded containers are stored for relatively short periods while waiting to be transported, while unloaded and empty containers may be stored for longer periods awaiting their next use. Containers are typically stacked for storage and the resulting warehouses are known as container stacks.

In recent years, methodological advances related to container port operations have been considerably improved, such as the container port design process. For a detailed description and complete list of references, see research sources.[4][5]​.

At the Moín Container Terminal in Costa Rica, Dr. Alejandro Martínez together with Dr. Olaf Jensen conducted a sociodemographic study that was published in January 2023, which shows the most frequent diseases for which port workers consult, with musculoskeletal problems being the main complaint.