The role of intermediacy is very apparent in container shipping. The global
maritime transport system operates mostly under the principle of intermediacy.
Only 17 % of all country pairs are directly connected by container shipping services
(UNCTAD 2009). This reflects a significant transshipment and interlining/
relay function in global freight distribution, as 62 % of all country pairs require at
least one transshipment. This intermediacy is not random. Rather, it takes place
along transshipment markets that are essentially freight regions where ports
compete for discretionary traffic.