Who Is A Shipping Agent?

A shipping agent is a person who is responsible for handling the shipments and cargo, keep up with the interests of his or her clients and represent ships owners, charterers or managers. The same tasks can also be carried out by an entire agency rather than just one person depending upon the client and the nature of the cargo. Shipping agents or shipping agencies are also called as port agents or cargo brokers. One of the most important and respected jobs in the marine industry is that of a shipping agent and the following article focusses on the same.

A shipping agent has a very crucial duty of keeping a track of all the transactions that are made at each port. He has local experience and thereby acts as a representative of the owner of the shipping company. He is entrusted with a bunch of tasks 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. Apart from these, his duties include making sure that the customs have been cleared and everything has been duly paid.

Keeping a shipping agent is mandatory for a shipping company because otherwise, the owner of the shipping company would have to travel the seas, keeping a track of what happens. He would have to visit one port after another in an attempt to solve every common problem. Also, you have to be taking care of the upgrading of components all by yourself. All in all, it is an extremely tedious task.

Some of the responsibilities of a shipping agent include drawing and managing documents for the customs and harbor services, organizing the transport and supply of goods, contacting the shippers and receivers of the cargo, arranging for medical services if required, arranging for necessary repairs in ships, arranging storage bunkers if and when needed etc.

There are various perks of being a shipping agent. He gets to interact with the shipping companies and their owners all over the world. Since he is a local his interaction with the crew is much more efficient and even, they themselves trust him. Thus, they are able to explain their problems and agitations in a much freer manner than they could have otherwise.

A shipping agent also needs to understand the needs and demands of his client’s needs. It is a wonderful opportunity, for the shipping agents to learn various different things. The salary or the fee that a shipping agent receives from his or her agency is called an agency fee for their services.

All the necessary documents related to the ship are handled by the shipping agent at various ports. There is no way you can neglect your duty for even a moment when you become a shipping agent.

Thus, we can see how versatile a shipping agent has to be. He provides value to his recruiter in the truest sense of the word. Most importantly he should be passionate about whatever he is doing. This is indeed a unique job.

The post Who Is A Shipping Agent? appeared first on Maritime Manual.

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2DwnGG2