The feeder service, which is called cargo transportation by small tonnage vessels to a large cargo ship, enables vessels with very high tonnage to leave their cargo at the relevant ports without berthing at the port. Especially high tonnage ships engaged in long distance trade may have difficulty berthing at some ports. Natural harbors do not have sufficient depth for large tonnage ships. In addition, berthing of large ships in ports with a very busy commercial volume can lead to a waste of time. Thus, small ships dock with the big ship and cargo loading/unloading operations are provided by small ships.
In addition, large cargo ships calling at more than one port also prefer the feeder transportation method. For example, a large tonnage ship needs to visit three different ports, but with the feeder system, it can easily transmit the related cargoes to the relevant ports with small cargo ships without calling directly at two parts.
The feeder system is also used as a system that connects ports within a country. After large cargo ships unload cargo at a country’s port, small cargo vessels can deliver the relevant cargo to the rest of the country. Especially, the rapid distribution of imported products into the country by sea can be done easily with the feeder system.
