GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 9, 2026

Container Stack Optimization

When a vessel is discharged, terminal planners face 200 import containers needing yard storage and 300 export containers awaiting loading.

Last updated: 9 June 2026Published: 19 June 2025

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/container-stacking

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Logistics Concept

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When a vessel is discharged, terminal planners face 200 import containers needing yard storage and 300 export containers awaiting loading. Container stack optimization means arranging all these boxes so that containers with the earliest pickup times sit on top, blocking is avoided, and operational costs decline. In practice, optimization software or a dispatcher decides whether a container sits in a 5-high stack in block 12 or block 18, considering pickup deadlines, size (20ft or 40ft), destination, and available yard slots. The payoff: every gantry crane lift cycle retrieves the correct container on the first attempt, eliminating unproductive re-moves.

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Container Stack Optimization

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Related Terms

U-Stack Stack Height Optimization

Stack Strategy

Container Stack Management

Empty Stack

Stack Plan

Last-in-First-out (LIFO)

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