Introduction
Ship and port agency failures rarely look dramatic, yet a late pre-arrival notice, an unfunded proforma disbursement account or a missing clearance document can hold a vessel at anchor and leave owners disputing every invoice. This Core Concept course trains agents and principal-side operations staff to run a port call from appointment to final accounts: agency types and authority, appointment agreements, arrival and clearance, husbandry requests, cargo paperwork and cost control. Each participant assembles a Port Call File containing a proforma and a final disbursement account for a realistic vessel call.
Course Objectives
- Distinguish port, liner, husbandry and protecting agency appointments and the authority, duty of care and liability each places on the agent
- Accept an appointment under a FONASBA BIMCO Agency Appointment Agreement and prepare a proforma disbursement account with a funding request
- Complete arrival, clearance and departure formalities and record vessel events for notice of readiness tendering and the statement of facts
- Coordinate pilots, tugs, berths, terminal slots and authority inspections to keep the port call on its planned timeline
- Arrange husbandry services such as crew changes, spares delivery, provisions, bunkers and medical attendance under principal instructions
- Close the call with an audited final disbursement account, cost variance explanation and principal performance report
Target Audience
- Port agency staff who board vessels, lodge clearance documents and coordinate marine services during calls
- Agency desk and accounts staff who prepare proforma and final disbursement accounts and chase supplier invoices
- Liner agency staff who handle service schedules, cargo manifests and equipment interfaces for a carrier
- Shipowner and ship manager operations staff who appoint agents and approve port costs
- Charterer and cargo-interest operations staff who nominate or supervise protecting agents at load and discharge ports
- Husbandry coordinators who arrange crew movements, stores and technical attendance for fleets
Course Outline
Day 1: Ship Agency Roles, Principals and Port Call Anatomy
- Port, Liner, Husbandry and Protecting Agency Models Compared
- Principal Types: Owners, Operators, Managers and Charterers' Nominations
- Agent Authority, Duty of Care and Acting for a Disclosed Principal
- Port Call Lifecycle Map from Nomination to Account Closure
- Current-State Agency Service Gap Checklist
Day 2: Agency Agreements, Service Standards and Liabilities
- FONASBA BIMCO Agency Appointment Agreement for Single Calls
- FONASBA BIMCO General Agency Appointment Agreement for Multi-Port Coverage
- FONASBA Normal Agency Services Summary and Fee Scope Definition
- FONASBA Quality Standard Requirements for Agency Firms
- Agent Liability Exposure, Indemnities and Professional Indemnity Cover
Day 3: Pre-Arrival, Arrival Formalities and Port Clearance
- Appointment Confirmation and Voyage Order Review Checklist
- Proforma Disbursement Account Build: Port Dues, Pilotage, Towage and Agency Fee
- Pre-Arrival Notification Pack: Crew List, Stores, Health and Security Declarations
- Inward Clearance Boarding Routine and Free Pratique Documentation
- Notice of Readiness Tendering Log and Statement of Facts Event Recording
Day 4: In-Port Coordination, Husbandry and Cost Control Risk
- Pilot, Tug and Berth Booking Sequence with Terminal Planners
- Crew Change Logistics: Visas, Transfers and Sign-On Paperwork
- Spares, Provisions, Bunkers and Medical Attendance Request Handling
- Cargo Documentation Interface: Manifests, Mate's Receipts and Bill of Lading Release
- Disbursement Overrun Causes, Supplier Invoice Checks and Dispute Prevention
Day 5: Port Call Case Work and the Port Call File
- Guided Case: Bulk Carrier Discharge Call from Nomination to Sailing
- Guided Case: Liner Call with Unplanned Crew Medical Disembarkation
- Final Disbursement Account Reconciliation Against the Proforma
- Principal Reporting Pack and Agency KPI Scorecard
- Port Call File Presentation and Peer Review
Skills You Will Gain
- Port Call Planning
- Disbursement Account Preparation
- Vessel Clearance Documentation
- Husbandry Service Coordination
- Marine Services Scheduling
- Agency Agreement Interpretation
- Port Cost Variance Analysis
- Principal Relationship Management
Why Attend This Course
- Return with a Port Call File holding a proforma and final disbursement account you can reuse as a template
- Spot the gaps in voyage orders, funding and paperwork that keep a vessel waiting before it arrives
- Explain every line of a port cost statement to an owner, operator or charterer with supporting evidence
- Compare agency practice with colleagues serving bulk, tanker, liner and offshore principals
Conclusion
A port call runs well when the agent knows the scope of the appointment, funds the call before arrival, records every event and closes the accounts quickly. The course moves from agency types and principal relationships, through FONASBA and BIMCO appointment agreements and service standards, to pre-arrival, clearance and event recording, then to marine services, husbandry, cargo paperwork and cost overruns. The final day applies case work to bulk and liner calls and produces a Port Call File with a proforma and final disbursement account.
