Transshipment of Freight

a sequence of operations in which freight is transferred from one means of transport to another. Transshipment takes place when freight is shipped by several means of transport. It is also done at border railroad stations, since the USSR railroad gauge differs from that of numerous other countries.

Freight may be transshipped directly from one means of transport to another, for example, from a railroad car to a ship or motor vehicle. It may also be brought from one means of transport to a warehouse and then loaded onto a second means of transport. Direct transshipment requires strictly coordinated work between the various means of transport at meeting points if long periods of lost time are to be avoided. Transshipment involving the use of a warehouse entails additional loading, unloading, and freight transfer.

Transshipment involves significant expenses and slows down freight delivery. Several steps are being taken to speed up the delivery of freight. These include the use of ships that can combine open-sea and inland-waterway operations, as well as the use of containers and container carriers. Coordinated schedules are being developed for various means of transport so as to minimize the time lost at meeting points during transshipment. The bogie trucks of railroad cars are changed at border stations to allow cars to travel between neighboring countries and obviate the need for transshipment. In addition, more efficient equipment is being used for loading and unloading.