E-PORTS Shipping Agency Column| Shipping Agency: An Indispensable Part of the International Maritime Logistics Chain

The history of shipping has been more than 5,000 years since human development. As early as about 3000 BC, maritime trade transportation has appeared. At present, the earliest known regional network of maritime trade is Mesopotamia plain, Bahrain island in the Arabian Sea and Indus River Basin in northwest India. At the beginning of the shipping industry, a group was derived, which specialized in providing basic services such as inbound and outbound services, loading and unloading services for ships and cargoes arriving at the port. With the rapid development of the shipping industry, this group has gradually become an indispensable link in the shipping chain, that is the ship agent we are now familiar with.

It can be said that the shipping?agency has experienced a long-term evolution and precipitation before it developed into such a mature industry. However, there are still many people who do not have a full understanding of the shipping agency industry. It?tends to feel that the shipping agency is to complete the procedures and affairs in the process of ship entry, berthing and departing?according to the entrustment of the principal.?Nonetheless, as the entrusted agent of the ship in port, it is not just about the processing of some procedures, but also to provide all services around the ship needs, including the port fee payments, issued in advance, supervision on loading and unloading cargo services?as well as three owners’ affairs including the relevant personnel services, supply services and security services related ships.?The professionalism of ship agents directly affects the loading, unloading and docking time of ships in ports.

Professional shipping agents need to have comprehensive knowledge of shipping services, master different kinds of port services as much as possible and pay close attention to port dynamics to ensure that they have made response plans in advance before changes occur. Once the ship enters the port, the ship agent shall enter the "combat" state immediately and provide the ship operation and management with perfect ship service plan through his professional ability, coordination and communication ability and contingency plan ability.

In order to let you know more about the shipping agency industry, as a third-party global intelligent shipping service management platform that focuses and empowers the shipping agency industry--E-PORTS, this time, we will deeply explain the importance of shipping?agency in maritime logistics.

To Guarantee the?Smooth Port Call and Navigation of Ships

Shipping schedule is the most concern of the ship management party. The length of the shipping date directly affects the final cost of shipping line. The?shipping date is usually not very stable, tending to be affected by many factors, such as congestion in port of call, weather conditions, the influence of artificial factors and so on. If the first two factors?belong to force majeure which cannot be avoided, the influence of human factors can be avoided. An excellent shipping agent can reasonably and professionally arrange the affairs after the ship arrives at the port, so that the ship can complete the arrival and departure of the port as much as possible within the expected shipping date. After all, the cost of an extra day's delay is not a small expense.

Considerate Steward for Ship-related Staff

During the?process of entering and leaving port, it will involve a lot of related staff, which also can produce many personnel services. What we are familiar with are crew change, the boarding permit processing of temporary onboard staff and so on.?The shipping agent is like a considerate steward, providing all the services for the people on board and those who need to go on board.

During the pandemic, the difficulty of crew change is a global concern. The shipping agency needs to keep communicating with various departments to ensure that crew can complete crew change in time. In addition, the shipping agency also needs to ensure the safety and health of the relevant personnel of the ship during the port call. In the process of interviewing the shipping agency, the author also has learned that sometimes if the crew members have sudden illness in the middle of the night, the shipping agency will send the crew members to the nearest hospital for treatment. It is arguably to say that as long as you need, the shipping agency will do its best to find solutions.

Ship-related personnel services include: crew change, engineering boarding, boarding of service providers and ship inspectors, temporary on-board work and relevant certificate processing (visa, temporary entry permit, boarding permit, on-board work permit, etc.)

Power Supply Station for Communication and Coordination of Ships in Port

After a period of voyage and docking, ships need to carry out corresponding replenishment according to the situation of ship materials during the docking, including spare parts, food, fuel and other replenishment. Although the ship owner will have some corresponding suppliers to cooperate with, there are also many ports that are relatively unknown or lack a certain supply resource. At this time, the ship owner needs the assistance of the shipping agency, matching suitable and professional suppliers, communicating with suppliers and assisting the ship owner to quickly complete the energy supply according to the ship plan to avoid stepping on the potholes. Therefore, controlling all kinds of port supply resources is also an essential skill for the ship agency to provide necessary assistance to the ship owner at all times, so that the ship will set sail again with full vitality.

Security Assistant for Ships in Port

When a ship calls at a port, it needs to undergo PSC inspection by the staff of the relevant port state maritime authority to ensure the safety of the ship and related personnel, which includes a number of tests: equipment safety inspection, personnel certificate inspection, cargo safety inspection, etc. The shipping agency is required to accompany and assist the ship owner to accept the inspection by the relevant department. The port inspection standards of each country are slightly different, so the shipping agent can give the ship owner some reference of safety standards in advance according to his experience to avoid too many correction items and late detentions. After the inspection, if some safety correction items need to be repaired with the help of the third party, the shipping agency can also provide the corresponding supplier resources in time to clear the safety obstacles for the ship quickly, so it is never overstated that the shipping agency is the safety assistant for the ship in port.

In maritime logistics, few people will mention shipping agents. Compared with the ship owner and the cargo owner, the shipping agents are more like behind-the-scenes workers. A?lot of people don't understand the value of their work and contributions. It?is like a great movie.?If there?are only actors on the screen, but no directors, lighting?and props?behind the screen, the movie cannot be presented ultimately. So do the?shipping logistics.?It is because of the existence of the shipping agency which serves as an important link?that ships can sail smoothly!