Transhipment
Transhipment (also spelled transshipment) is the transfer of cargo from one vessel, aircraft or vehicle to another at an intermediate point on its way to the final destination, rather than travelling the whole way on a single conveyance. In container shipping, boxes are commonly transhipped at a hub port: a mainline ship discharges them and a feeder (or another mainline service) carries them onward.
Transhipment is the backbone of the hub-and-spoke model — hubs like Singapore, Rotterdam, Dubai and Tanjung Pelepas concentrate flows so that big ships run efficiently between hubs while feeders serve the many smaller ports. It adds a handling step and some transit time, and the transhipment port earns throughput without the cargo entering the local market. For shippers, whether a routing is direct or via transhipment affects transit time, reliability and the risk of delay or misconnection.
Most containers don't sail port-to-port — they transfer at a hub, which is what lets giant ships stay on efficient trunk routes while feeders reach everywhere else. Transhipment underpins the whole hub-and-spoke network, but it adds a handling step where misconnections happen. Knowing if a routing is direct or transhipped is key to judging transit time and reliability.
Why is cargo transhipped?
To use the hub-and-spoke model — big ships run between hub ports and feeders distribute containers to smaller ports, which is more efficient than direct calls everywhere.
Does transhipment add risk?
It adds a handling step and transit time, with some risk of misconnection or delay at the hub.