Mother Vessel
A mother vessel is a large container ship on a main intercontinental service that calls at hub ports and collects boxes brought in by feeder vessels. It offers a lower cost per TEU but only calls where depth, berths and cranes are adequate. Some Indonesian ports have direct-call services to certain destinations, which avoid transshipment. Compare schedules, transit time and connection reliability, not only the rate, when choosing a routing.
Related terms
- Feeder Vessel
A feeder vessel is a small to mid-sized container ship that moves boxes between hub ports and smaller ports.
- Transshipment
Transshipment is the transfer of a container from one vessel to another at a hub port before it reaches its destination.
- Deadweight Tonnage (DWT)
Deadweight tonnage (DWT) is the total weight a ship can carry at its summer load line, including cargo, fuel, fresh water, stores and crew.
- Draft (Draught)
Draft, or draught, is the vertical distance from the waterline to the keel, read from draft marks at the bow, midships and stern.