Entrepôt

[1] These places played a critical role in trade during the days of wind-powered shipping.

In modern times customs areas have largely made entrepôts obsolete, but the term is still used to refer to duty-free ports with a high volume of re-export trade.

Entrepôt also means 'warehouse' in modern French, and is derived from the Latin roots inter 'between' + positum 'position', literally 'that which is placed between'.

[2] Entrepôts had an important role in the early modern period, when mercantile shipping flourished between Europe and its colonial empires in the Americas and Asia.

This could conceivably lead to more attractive profits for those who were suited to traveling the entire route.