To meet the expected increase of seaborne trade flows for coal and iron ore dry bulk terminals need to be designed or expanded. A comprehensive design method for dry bulk terminals is missing. Designs are currently based on rules-of-thumb, practical experiences and average values for specific design criteria. In this research, additions to existing design methods are formulated and dedicated simulation models are developed to support the design process. These models include stochastic processes and operational procedures that occur during daily operations. Stochastic variations take need to be taken into account to realize accurate terminal designs are the variations in ship arrival times and shiploads, the time that material is stored at stockyards and equipment disturbances. Modeling the entire terminal operation is complicated due to dependencies between the different terminal tasks. That’s why the terminal is decomposed in subsystems. Each subsystem is analyzed individually and per subsystem simulation models are developed. At the end, the simulation models are merged into a single terminal model. The simulation models proved to be successful in the formulation and assessment of (re)designs.