A wharf is a marine structure for berthing ships, loading and unloading cargo, and boarding and disembarking passengers, and it is also a major component of a port. There are many ways to classify wharves: by layout, they are divided into marginal wharves, pier/jetty wharves, and dolphin wharves; by cross-section and structural form, there are further classifications; and by use, there are general cargo terminals, container terminals, oil terminals, etc. This article follows these threads to clearly explain the types, facilities, and related concepts of wharves. For the overall functions and roles of a port, see Analysis of the Characteristics and Functions of Port Logistics; for the actual operational steps of cargo at a wharf, see Wharf Operation Process: The Complete Process of Port Entry, Storage, Loading, Unloading, and Container Pickup.
I. Wharves, Wharf Shorelines, and Apron Operating Areas
Wharf: A hydraulic structure for ships to berth, load and unload cargo, and embark and disembark passengers. By layout, it is divided into marginal, pier, and dolphin types, etc.; dolphin wharves are further divided into isolated dolphins connected to shore by approach bridges, or continuous dolphins connected by connecting bridges; pier wharves are divided into narrow piers (the pier is a single integrated structure) and wide piers (wharf structures on both sides, with the wharf surface formed by fill in the middle). By cross-section form, there are vertical-face, sloping, semi-vertical, and semi-sloping types; by structural form, there are gravity, sheet-pile, high-pile, column/dolphin, and floating wharf types, etc.
Wharf shoreline: The intersection line of the vertical plane on the ship-berthing side of the wharf structure and the horizontal plane, i.e., the alongshore length available for ships to berth; it is an important baseline determining the wharf's plan position and elevation. According to ship draft and use, it is generally divided into deep-water shoreline, shallow-water shoreline, and auxiliary operation shoreline. The total length of various wharf shorelines in a port is an important indicator of port scale and reflects the number of ships that can be operated simultaneously.
Wharf apron operating area: The site between the wharf line and the front edge line of the first row of warehouses (or storage yards); it is a place for cargo loading and unloading, transfer, and temporary storage. It is generally provided with loading/unloading and transport equipment, and leaves operating space for mobile machinery and transport vehicles; some are also laid with railway tracks for direct-transfer operations. There is no unified standard for the width of the apron operating area; it is mainly determined by the nature of wharf operations and the loading/unloading process. In China's coastal ports, the width of the apron operating area of general cargo wharves is generally between 25 and 40 meters; the surface is mostly paved with concrete, reinforced concrete blocks, and rubble/stone blocks to meet the requirements of machinery travel and site operations.
II. Classification by Purpose: Multipurpose Wharves and Specialized Wharves
Multipurpose wharf: Also called a general-purpose wharf, it can carry out loading and unloading operations for many kinds of cargo and uses general-purpose loading and unloading machinery and equipment, generally mainly handling general cargo. It has strong adaptability and is relatively suitable when cargo types are unstable or batches are small.
Specialized wharf: Compared with a multipurpose wharf, it is dedicated to the loading and unloading of cargo of a fixed type and flow direction, such as coal wharves, fertilizer (bulk or bagged) wharves, oil wharves, container wharves, etc. Its characteristics are relatively fixed wharf equipment, which facilitates mechanized and automated loading and unloading, high loading and unloading efficiency, large throughput capacity, and convenient management.
Shipper's wharf: Factories, mines, and enterprises along rivers, lakes, and seas usually build their own wharves near the enterprise during the transportation of raw materials, fuel, and finished products in order to reduce reloading and short-distance transport. Such highly specialized wharves are called shipper's wharves.
Divided by purpose, there are also general cargo wharves, special-purpose wharves (fishing wharves, oil wharves, coal wharves, ore wharves, container wharves, etc.), passenger wharves, workboat wharves for working vessels in the port, as well as ship repair wharves and outfitting wharves specially provided for ship repair and shipbuilding.
III. Two Common Types of Specialized Terminals
Container Terminal
A terminal dedicated to container loading and unloading is generally equipped with specialized loading/unloading and transport equipment, has spacious yards for container consolidation and storage, and container freight stations (CFS) for cargo sorting and stuffing and unstuffing. Because containers can combine miscellaneous piece goods and packaged general cargo into standardized units, allowing the use of large specialized equipment for loading, unloading, and transport, which helps improve the quality of loading/unloading and transport and enhance operational efficiency, countries therefore attach great importance to the unitization and containerization of break-bulk and general cargo.
Oil Terminal
A specialized terminal for loading and unloading crude oil and refined oil products; it must maintain a certain fire safety distance from ordinary cargo (passenger) terminals and other fixed structures. Such terminals usually have relatively small cargo loads and relatively simple loading/unloading equipment; because modern seagoing oil tankers have become gigantic, they have strong wind and wave resistance and deeper drafts, so requirements for berth tranquility conditions are not high. There are four common deepwater terminals (or facilities) for loading and unloading crude oil: single-point mooring, multi-point mooring, island terminals, and trestle-type terminals, among which the first three generally have no wind- and wave-protection structures.
IV. Berths and Berth Utilization Rate
Berth: The length of shoreline occupied by a ship of a standard design type when berthing at a wharf, or the number of pontoons occupied. Berth length generally includes the ship length L and the necessary safety interval d between ships; the value of d varies with ship size, and for a 10,000-ton-class berth it is about 15 to 20 meters. The number and size of berths are important indicators of the scale of a port or wharf; a wharf may consist of one or several berths, depending on its layout and location.
Berth utilization rate: The percentage of total operating time in a year during which ships actually occupy berths; it is one of the parameters for measuring berth usage and an indicator for calculating berth throughput capacity, usually determined through statistical analysis of actual data.
Data note: The above classifications and facility descriptions are general industry concepts. Actual layouts, apron widths, and berth conditions vary at each port and terminal. Please refer to the information published by the port and on-site operational arrangements.
📖 Further reading: Terminal operating process: the full process of port entry, storage, loading, unloading, and container pickup — the actual stages of cargo movement at a terminal; Major seaports in China — distribution of major domestic ports; Overview of Chinese ports: distribution of major seaports and throughput rankings — port scale and throughput data.
Need to arrange drayage into port or terminal operations? Bofeng Logistics provides one-stop services including domestic container shipping, international shipping (FCL/LCL), Hong Kong and Macao logistics routes, and drayage, customs declaration, and warehousing. Submit an inquiry online, or call 13075678958 for consultation.
Contact: 13075678958 | info@zhbfwl.com
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Terminals and Terminal Classification
Q: What is the difference between a container terminal and a breakbulk cargo terminal?
A: Container terminals are equipped with specialized loading, unloading, and transport equipment, as well as spacious container yards and container freight stations (CFS), making them suitable for standardized containerized cargo; breakbulk cargo terminals mainly use general-purpose loading and unloading machinery and are suitable for packaged, boxed, drummed, and other breakbulk cargo, offering greater adaptability when cargo types are unstable or lot sizes are small.
Q: What do the number of berths and berth utilization each indicate?
A: The number and size of berths measure the scale of a port or terminal and determine the number of vessels that can berth and be handled simultaneously; berth utilization is the proportion of total operating time in a year during which vessels actually occupy berths, and it is an important parameter for calculating berth throughput capacity and assessing how busy a terminal is.
Disclaimer: This article was compiled and written by the Bofeng Logistics team, and its content was verified in September 2026. Terminal classification methods, facility configurations, and operational arrangements vary by port area; please refer to the port's published information and actual operations.
Related Logistics Services
Bofeng Logistics offers the following related services, feel free to inquire:
