„Feeder Vessel“

A vessel which is part of a cargo network in which the larger, faster vessels only call at the major ports at both ends of the area being covered, and the smaller ports are served by the smaller feeder vessels which transfer the cargo to and from the major port terminals and thus keep the larger vessels filled closer to capacity and spare them the expense and loss of time in loading and unloading in the subsidiary ports.

Hayuth, Y. (1981). Containerisation and the load centre concept. Economic Geography, 57(2), 160-176.