Who is a Shipping Agent?
A shipping agent deals with the transactions of a ship in every port that the ship visits or docks.
In simple terms, it is a shipping agent who with a local expert acts as a representative of the ship’s owner and carries out all essential duties and obligations required by the ship’s crew.
The shipping agent handles every need of the crew like getting local currency, getting the mail, any repairmen in case the ship requires major repairing, refilling the food and water containers and many other such duties.
Also along with the above-mentioned duties, it is a shipping agent’s responsibility that dues are paid and discharged, especially when it comes to customs.
The payment of the dues can also extend to those working on the ship on a contract basis and whose contract might have come to an end after reaching that particular port.
Ship owners can allow themselves to be free of all worries or know all the details required to be processed every time a ship makes a port because of the presence of shipping agents.
In the absence of shipping agents, a ship owner will have to be the one to rush from one port to another, across numerous countries trying to solve every problem and fit in every new upgrade to the ship.
Thus the career of a shipping agent allows him/her to interact with shipping companies and owners from not just his native country but from all over the world. Since a ship agent is a local person, it enables him to achieve the trust of a ship owner along with the trust of the crew of the ship.
This in turn adds to him getting exposure because by this interaction, he/she will be able to understand and learn what the actual needs of the crew are. This understanding of his clients’ necessities and supply of the same, thus enables a ship agent to gain goodwill and secure more clientele for himself.
Another major thing that needs to be noted about the role and scope of shipping agents is that it is a ship agent who is responsible for the ship’s necessary papers when it comes to a port for docking. Adding this to the long line of services mentioned above, it is quite clear that the role of a shipping agent is not something that can be taken lightly.
This is what the USP of a shipping agent is. He/she can offer far more than what a shipping company or a ship owner could ask or anticipate, thus making the profession a unique and singular one. In today’s contemporary times where the shipping industry has managed to develop and stay on par with the times, it is the shipping agent who provides the incentive for it to stay alive and flourishing.
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Disclaimer :
The information on this website is for general purposes only. While efforts are made to ensure accuracy, we make no warranties of any kind regarding completeness, reliability, or suitability. Any reliance you place on such information is at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from the use of this website.
About Author
Zahra is an SEO-Strategist & a Technical Writer with over 5 years of experience crafting top-tier content for the shipping world. From news, articles, ebooks, blogs and marketing pieces to industry white papers, she has written it all and now brings that experience to her role as Senior Editor. She makes complex maritime stories clear, sharp, and engaging.
Disclaimer :
The information on this website is for general purposes only. While efforts are made to ensure accuracy, we make no warranties of any kind regarding completeness, reliability, or suitability. Any reliance you place on such information is at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from the use of this website.
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Want to be a shipping agent of a shipping co in india.How can i get this,pls advice.
Waiting anxiously for yr reply.
I want to be a Marine Navy officer in UK but in Arica. Pls advice me of how I should go about it. This is my E-mail address [email protected]
Dear sir,
this is ASI shipping agency company looking for shipping agency expert to help in agency field and growing business. any body can guarantee the developing this section of company we invite him/her to give us his/her resume.
Best Regards
Ali Salehi
i am interest in been a shipping agent, so please allow me to study with the marine online.
Hello,
We know it’s important for you to get a quick response for your question.
Thus, we created Marine Insight Forums >> https://forums.marineinsight.com
Kindly re-post your question at the forums, after a quick free sign-up and one our experts will reply to you at the earliest.
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Thanks a lot in advance.
i am working in import export industry for 5 years and i Want to be a shipping agent of a shipping co in india.How can i get this,pls advice.
Waiting anxiously for yr reply.
@Vijay: Have mailed you the details.
i am interest in been a shipping agent, WHERE CAN I APPLY THAT JOB BECAUSE I PREFER TO GET MANY DUTIES ABOUT THAT
Shipping agents can also be women you even use a picture of a woman .. yet you refer to shipping agent as “He” in most of the article.. easy to change this to “they” or keen …about time the writing about maritime industry take into account that although still male dominated industry there are women in all roles. About time to make the language a little more gender neutral.. be great to see marine insight be more aware of their female readers and colleagues.
@Amy,
Totally agree with you. We have made the changes you suggested. Thank you for pointing it out.
Hi ,
I would like to become a shopping agent. If any one can guide me that will be appreciated.
Hi
Is it possible to send gifts to my husband who is in ship now?
@Rajeswari: You can call send it to the company he is working with. Whenever there is a crew change or an official visit to the ship, they will take along your parcel. You can also ask them the vessel schedule so that you can send the parcel to the local office of the country the ship will be visiting, however, this method will cost you more money.
Thanks for explaining that a shipping agent acts as a representative of the owner of the ship so that things will go much smoother. I can see why it would be important to have a shipping agent to keep you sane. You probably want to hire someone with your best interests at heart, so it’s best to do research before you choose one.
Is it needed to do any specialized course for becoming a vessel agent, as iam having of three years of port operation experience and three years of freight forwarder experience. please suggest me
Helo sir
I have completed gp rating in amet university,so i need a job
Please, this is really important..
i want to be a ship agent with Hyundia at south korea, any shipbuilding company or any local ship owner….
1. how can i start
2. how can i reach out to these persons….
yes the shipping knowledge is very interesting i feel like mytime has not been wasted thank you for giving us ideas on marine insurance.
Who is a shipping Agent? Peter is a Shipping Agent!
Lucky Google is American other wise you would not rank.
What is a shipping Agent? A shipping agent is ………….
..Peter Mattey..!!
Nice explanation!