The term Transhipment (also spelt Transshipment) can be used in a general sense to mean transportation of goods to an intermediate point and handover from one carrier to another. In global trade, transhipment is an important concept, because there may be letters of credit provided by banks related to goods in transit. In some cases, a letter of credit may ban transhipment. However, banks do not usually intend to ban normal hub-and-spoke operations.