Transshipment
Encyclopedia
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods
or containers
to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination.
One possible reason is to change the means of transport during the journey (for example from ship transport
to road transport
), known as transloading
. Another reason is to combine small shipments into a large shipment, dividing the large shipment at the other end. Transshipment usually takes place in transport hubs. Much international transshipment also takes place in designated customs area
s, thus avoiding the need for customs checks or duties, otherwise a major hindrance for efficient transport.
Note that transshipment is generally considered as a legal term. An item handled (from the shipper's point of view) as a single movement is not generally considered transshipped, even though it may in reality change from one transport to another at several points. Previously it was often not distinguished from transloading
since each leg of such a trip was typically handled by a different shipper.
Transshipment is normally fully legitimate and an everyday part of the world's trade. However, it can also be a method used to disguise intent, as is the case with illegal logging
, smuggling
or grey market
goods.
at a container port or terminal can be defined as the number (or proportion) of containers, possibly expressed in TEU
, of the total container flow that is handled at the port or terminal and, after temporary storage in the stack, transferred to another ship to reach their destinations. The exact definition of transhipment may differ between ports, mostly depending on the inclusion of inland water transport (barges operating on canals and rivers to the hinterland
). The definition of transhipment may:
In both cases, a single, unique, transhipped container is counted twice in the port performance, since it is handled twice by the waterside cranes (separate unloading from arriving ship A, waiting in the stack, and loading onto departing ship B).
cargo is transloaded from boxcar
s or covered wagon
s on one track to wagons on another track of a different gauge
or containers
are transloaded from flatcar
s one one track to flatcars on another track of a different gauge. Variable-gauge axles can eliminate this inconvenience.
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
or containers
Intermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination.
One possible reason is to change the means of transport during the journey (for example from ship transport
Ship transport
Ship transport is watercraft carrying people or goods . Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises...
to road transport
Road transport
Road transport or road transportation is transport on roads of passengers or goods. A hybrid of road transport and ship transport is the historic horse-drawn boat.-History:...
), known as transloading
Transloading
For the data downloading process, see sideload.Transloading is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another. It is most commonly employed when one mode cannot be used for the entire trip, as for instance when goods must be shipped internationally from one inland...
. Another reason is to combine small shipments into a large shipment, dividing the large shipment at the other end. Transshipment usually takes place in transport hubs. Much international transshipment also takes place in designated customs area
Customs area
A customs area is an area designated for storage of commercial goods that have not yet cleared customs. It is surrounded by a customs border...
s, thus avoiding the need for customs checks or duties, otherwise a major hindrance for efficient transport.
Note that transshipment is generally considered as a legal term. An item handled (from the shipper's point of view) as a single movement is not generally considered transshipped, even though it may in reality change from one transport to another at several points. Previously it was often not distinguished from transloading
Transloading
For the data downloading process, see sideload.Transloading is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another. It is most commonly employed when one mode cannot be used for the entire trip, as for instance when goods must be shipped internationally from one inland...
since each leg of such a trip was typically handled by a different shipper.
Transshipment is normally fully legitimate and an everyday part of the world's trade. However, it can also be a method used to disguise intent, as is the case with illegal logging
Illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission or from a protected area; the cutting of protected species; or the...
, smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
or grey market
Grey market
A grey market or gray market also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer...
goods.
Transshipment at container ports or terminals
The transhipment of containersIntermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
at a container port or terminal can be defined as the number (or proportion) of containers, possibly expressed in TEU
Twenty-foot equivalent unit
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...
, of the total container flow that is handled at the port or terminal and, after temporary storage in the stack, transferred to another ship to reach their destinations. The exact definition of transhipment may differ between ports, mostly depending on the inclusion of inland water transport (barges operating on canals and rivers to the hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
). The definition of transhipment may:
- include only seaborne transfers (i.e. a change to another international deep-sea container shipContainer shipContainer ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...
) - include both seaborne and inland waterway ship transfers (sometimes indicated as water-to-water transhipment). Most coastal container ports in China have a large proportion of riverside 'transhipment' to the hinterland.
In both cases, a single, unique, transhipped container is counted twice in the port performance, since it is handled twice by the waterside cranes (separate unloading from arriving ship A, waiting in the stack, and loading onto departing ship B).
Transshipment at a break-of-gauge
At a break-of-gaugeBreak-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
cargo is transloaded from boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s or covered wagon
Covered wagon
The covered wagon, also known as a Prairie schooner, is an icon of the American Old West.Although covered wagons were commonly used for shorter moves within the United States, in the mid-nineteenth century thousands of Americans took them across the Great Plains to Oregon and California...
s on one track to wagons on another track of a different gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
or containers
Intermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
are transloaded from flatcar
Flatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
s one one track to flatcars on another track of a different gauge. Variable-gauge axles can eliminate this inconvenience.
See also
- Cross-dockingCross-dockingCross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or railroad car and loading these materials directly into outbound trucks, trailers, or rail cars, with little or no storage in between...
- Customs areaCustoms areaA customs area is an area designated for storage of commercial goods that have not yet cleared customs. It is surrounded by a customs border...
- EntrepôtEntrepôtAn entrepôt is a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. This profit is possible because of trade conditions, for example, the reluctance of ships to travel the entire length of a long trading route, and selling to the entrepôt...
- Free portFree portA free port or free zone , sometimes also called a bonded area is a port, port area or other area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location...
- List of world's busiest transshipment ports
- Milk runMilk runIn logistics, a milk run is a round trip which facilitates both distribution and collection.The terms are defined by the customer or by the service providers. Here, the exact number of suppliers, each of which defines the available volume and weight, and the time window for collection from the...