Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU)

The twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) is the standardized unit of measurement for container throughput in maritime shipping, representing one twenty-foot-long intermodal container. A standard forty-foot container counts as 2 TEUs. The TEU became the global container industry standard following ISO standardization in the 1960s and is now the universal metric for port throughput, vessel capacity, and global trade volume.

Israeli port system throughput is conventionally reported in TEUs. Ashdod handles approximately 1.6 million TEUs annually as Israel's largest container port; Haifa Bayport's automated SIPG terminal added capacity for an additional 1.6 million TEUs upon completion. Combined, the Israeli port system handles roughly 3 million TEUs annually — the throughput basis for the country's $55 billion US-Israel trade corridor and $8.4 billion Israel-Germany industrial corridor.

Full context: Israel's Ports and Logistics: The Complete Map.