From TEU per year to ICD land area

A dry port project usually starts with two numbers: how many hectares the site has and how many TEU per year it is expected to handle. But linking the two directly with an average ratio easily leads to excess land in the early phase, or a yard that is too small as soon as volumes grow. A sounder approach is to rebuild the container flow over time and only then convert it into land requirements.

Step 1: agree on what the TEU figure measures

TEU is a unit equivalent to one 20-foot container. A 40-foot container is usually counted as 2 TEU, but two TEU do not equal two 20-foot container slots in every yard configuration. From the start, volumes should be split into 20-foot containers, 40-foot containers, reefer containers, empty containers and cargo requiring inspection, because each group creates different operating requirements.

It is also necessary to distinguish Throughput TEU from TEU in the yard at a given moment. Annual capacity describes the number of containers passing through; yard area depends on the number of containers in the yard at the same time.

Step 2: convert annual capacity to design daily flow

Do not simply divide capacity by 365 and stop there. An ICD has actual operating days, peak seasons and an hourly distribution of trucks. An easy-to-check starting formula is: design daily flow = TEU/year ÷ operating days × peak factor. The peak factor must come from cargo source data or a scenario agreed with the project owner, not from gut feeling.

Step 3: dwell time determines inventory

If the same number of containers enters the yard each day but dwell time rises from two to four days, the number of containers in the yard at the same time can nearly double. Dwell times must therefore be set separately for import cargo, export cargo, empty containers, reefer containers and cargo awaiting clearance.

The preliminary calculation framework is: Design TEU in yard = design daily flow × average dwell time. The import–export imbalance and cargo surges must then also be checked, because the average can hide a very large operating peak.

Step 4: from TEU in the yard to the number of ground slots

Nominal stacking tiers are not effective operating tiers. A tall yard with heavy rehandling can reduce productivity and raise equipment costs. The number of ground slots should be calculated from dwell inventory in TEU, effective stacking height and the yard utilization factor; these parameters vary with RTG, reach stacker, RMG or automated yard models.

Illustrative example: an ICD handling 150,000 TEU/year, operating 330 days, with a peak factor of 1.25 and an average dwell time of 4 days produces about 2,273 TEU of design inventory. If the effective stacking height is 2.5 tiers and slot utilization is 75%, the preliminary requirement is approximately 1,212 TEU ground slots. This is only the container storage area, not the whole project area.

Step 5: add the land that does not hold container slots

Starting from the number of ground slots, the consultant then lays out equipment lanes, tractor routes, turning radii, waiting areas, gates, weighbridges, inspection areas, CFS, bonded warehouses, substations, fire protection, drainage, landscaping and expansion corridors. The share of these areas depends on the operating process; therefore, no single m²/TEU figure is correct for every ICD.

Three scenarios to have before fixing the scale

Base case use the most likely throughput and dwell time. Stress case test for peak season, seaport congestion or prolonged procedures. Expansion case identify the location of shared infrastructure and the land reserve that must be kept to increase capacity without disrupting operating flows.

Check against the master plan before locking the option

Decision 979/QĐ-TTg sets a target for the dry port system of about 11.9–17.1 million TEU/year by 2030, requiring about 1,199–1,707 ha of land. This is a network-wide planning framework, not a land allocation ratio to apply directly to each project. Location, capacity and investment timing must still be checked against transport corridors and actual demand.