shipping agent

A shipping agency, shipping agent, or ship agency is the term used to refer to the appointed companies that handle operational and procedural (legal) requirements for a commercial vessel's call at a port for the purposes of cargo handling (loading/discharging), emergency calls, repairs, crew changes, or ship demolition, and protect the general interests of their principals on behalf of ship owners, disponent owners, or charterers in an objective manner. There are several categories of shipping agencies such as: port agents, liner agents, and own agencies, each rendering specific services depending on the shipping company they represent. This separation between different types of ship agencies depends on the main segments of the cargo transport systems which are bulk shipping, specialized s...