Transshipment hub
Topic: Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A transshipment hub is a port where cargo is moved from one ship to another on its way to its final destination. Big "mother" ships drop containers at the hub, and smaller "feeder" ships carry them on to other ports, or the other way round. The hub port earns money for handling this cargo. A country without its own hub loses that revenue, and its cargo takes longer to arrive.
Example
Much of India's container transshipment happens at Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang, so the handling revenue goes abroad. To bring this business home, India commissioned the deep-water Vizhinjam port in Kerala in 2025 and is building the Galathea Bay International Container Transshipment Port in Great Nicobar.
Don't confuse with
- Dry port: A dry port is an inland terminal linked to seaports by rail or road. A transshipment hub is a seaport where cargo moves from ship to ship.