Hutchison Whampoa, a Hong Kong conglomerate, has just opened a huge container trans-shipment port on Grand Bahama.

ECONOMIST: The Bahamas

For Russia, which has big plans to develop the sea lane with trans-shipment hubs and other infrastructure, this is a double boon.

ECONOMIST: The melting north | The

Partly because Kassala is a trans-shipment point between those two countries and Sudan, the state has one of the biggest HIV problems in the country.

ECONOMIST: Fighting AIDS in Sudan

As a result, Vale has had to send its giant vessels to costlier trans-shipment hubs in the Philippines and Malaysia and then transfer it to smaller vessels.

FORBES: Vale's Valemax Service Still Faces Hurdles In China