Transshipment or transhipment at sea is done by transferring goods such as cargo, personnel, and equipment from one ship to another. It is a common practice in global fisheries and typically takes place between smaller fishing vessels and large specialized refrigerated transport vessels, also referred to as “reefers” that onload catch and deliver supplies if necessary.[1]
Transshipment at sea is driven by economic and logistic performance as well as the potential to avoid control measures.[2] It has been criticized as enabling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU),[3] marine life depletion through overfishing,[4] forced labor,[5] human rights abuses,[6] human trafficking,[7] and the smuggling of weapons[8] and drugs.[9]