Ports, Terminals & Transit
Inland Container Depot
Also known as: ICD, Dry Port
An inland container depot, sometimes called a dry port, is a facility located away from the seaport, in the interior of a country, that provides many of the services of a port terminal — container handling, storage, customs clearance, and consolidation — bringing them closer to inland shippers and consignees. By allowing goods to be cleared and containers to be staged inland, an ICD relieves congestion at coastal ports, shortens the road leg for importers and exporters, and extends the reach of containerized trade into landlocked regions and interior industrial centers.
An inland depot named in an Incoterm moves the hand-over point, and with it the risk. Useful for shippers far from a port, provided everyone knows where the carrier's responsibility actually ends.
Related terms
Reviewed by a licensed customs broker. Definitions are general information, not legal or customs advice for a particular shipment. Duty rates, tariff programs and agency requirements change frequently.