Background to Shipping

Background to Shipping covers a range of topics, including:

- Ships and Trade. Global shipping and trading patterns. Types of vessels. Maritime geography.

- The Maritime Business and its players. Shipping companies: principals, intermediaries and practitioners: their role and responsibilities. National and International organisations.

- Classification and registration societies. Shipping contracts

- Bills of Lading, the three functions and different types of Bills of lading.

- Port Agency. Role and authority of an agent. Port services and the providers. Cargo working. Husbandry. Local requirements

- Bulk Carrier and Tanker Documents. Charter parties and other documents. Basic laytime concepts.

- Liner Agency Documentation. The agency agreement. Space allocation, sales and marketing, dealing with cargo bookings, special cargo. Documentation. Conferences and consortia

- Chartering. The chartering markets and different types of charter. How the deal is made. The charterer’s authority and responsibility. Post fixture responsibilities. Brokerage.

- Ports and Cargoes. The location, origins and facilities of ports. A selection of some ports with details of their import and export facilities

- Ship Management and Operations. Different types of management – integral or independent managers. Roles and responsibilities of a ship management department