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Port Operations and Agency

Ship Agent

A local representative coordinating a vessel’s port call and acting on behalf of the owner, operator or charterer. During a port call, the concept may affect coordination, timing, cost, documentation or responsibility between the vessel and local parties.

What an agent is

  • A ship agent acts for a principal. Acts within the appointment bind that principal.
  • The appointment is per port and per call, unless a standing arrangement exists.
  • Who appoints the agent decides whose interests they serve, which is why an owner may appoint one alongside the charterer’s.

Ship Agent is a term used in maritime business and operations.

A local representative coordinating a vessel’s port call and acting on behalf of the owner, operator or charterer.

During a port call, the concept may affect coordination, timing, cost, documentation or responsibility between the vessel and local parties. The exact meaning may vary with the contract, jurisdiction, port practice or workflow in which it is used.

Owner’s agent compared with charterer’s agent

Owner’s agent
Charterer’s agent
Appointed by the owner or operator.
Nominated by the charterer, where the charter party gives that right.
Acts for the ship’s interests.
Acts for the cargo and voyage interests of the charterer.
Takes instructions from the owner.
Takes instructions from the charterer, within the appointment.
Costs sit on the owner’s account.
Costs may sit with the charterer, depending on the fixture.

Other agency appointments

Appointment
What it covers
Husbandry agent
Crew, stores and non-cargo matters, often appointed alongside a charterer’s agent.
Protective agent
Appointed by the owner to oversee another agent’s handling of the call.
General or liner agent
Appointed for all of a line’s calls at a port, rather than for a single visit.
Sub-agent
Appointed by the agent itself, to cover a port or task it does not handle directly.
Ship agents in PortzApp

Both sides of the same account

In PortzApp an agent buys services for the vessel and sells its own agency services, often within the same port call. The disbursement account for that call holds both, so what was bought on the vessel’s behalf and what the agent charged for its own work sit in one record.

See how PortzApp works for ship agents
FAQ

FAQ

The most common questions we get about Ship Agent.

What does Ship Agent mean?
A local representative coordinating a vessel’s port call and acting on behalf of the owner, operator or charterer.
What is the difference between a ship agent and a port agent?
In most usage they are the same thing. Ship agent emphasises who is represented, port agent emphasises where the work is done.
Who pays the agent?
The agency fee is a line on the disbursement account, settled by whoever appointed the agent, usually from funds advanced before the call.