Many China–origin ocean routings are not a single vessel sailing direct — the cargo moves on a first-leg vessel to a transshipment hub (Singapore, Colombo and Tanjung Pelepas are common examples), then transfers to a second vessel for the onward leg. That transfer depends on both vessels keeping their published schedule closely enough for the connection to hold.
When the first-leg vessel arrives late, the cargo can miss its booked connection on the second vessel entirely, not just run a few days behind. Because onward vessels at a transshipment hub sail on their own fixed schedule regardless of how any single piece of connecting cargo is running, a missed connection often means waiting for the next sailing in that string — which, depending on frequency, can add a week or more rather than the few days the original delay suggested.
This compounding effect is why a delay that looks minor at the first port — two or three days — can turn into a much larger delay by the time the cargo reaches final destination, and why transshipment routings carry a different risk profile than direct sailings even when the quoted transit time looks similar on paper.
We track vessel schedules through the transshipment leg, not just the origin departure, and flag a missed-connection risk as soon as the first-leg vessel is reported running late enough to threaten the booked onward sailing.