A Container Yard, or CY, is a designated area where shipping containers are stored, staged, received, released, and transferred between transport modes. CYs are commonly located at ports, rail terminals, inland depots, or container facilities and may handle both loaded and empty containers. In ocean freight, the container yard is important for FCL shipments because it serves as the handoff point for export gate-in, import pickup, equipment return, and container tracking before or after vessel movement.
A Container Yard (CY) is the area within or adjacent to a port terminal where full containers are stored, loaded onto vessels, or picked up by truckers after vessel discharge.
CY as a Shipping Term
- CY to CY: carrier responsibility from origin container yard to destination container yard
- CY to CFS: carrier responsible from origin yard to destination CFS for LCL delivery
- CFS to CY: carrier responsible from origin CFS consolidation to destination container yard
CY cutoff is the deadline for delivering a full container to the terminal before vessel departure.
For related logistics context, see Dedola’s ocean freight shipping services and glossary entries on CFS, FCL, Drayage, and Chassis.
