Education

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As we know, a Bill of Lading (B/L) is one of the most commonly used commercial documents in the history of global trade and shipping.....

In recent times, maritime disasters seem to have been dime a dozen.. Some disasters like the infamous Ever Given which got stuck diagonally across...

Does a shipping line charge demurrage and detention for LCL shipments the same way they charge for FCL shipments..??

The Incoterms® rules are a globally-recognised set of standards, used worldwide in international and domestic contracts for trade transactions for the delivery of goods.. Following its introduction...

What is the difference between a shipper owned container and a carrier owned container..??

A shipper owned container is a container owned by the shipper of the goods and a carrier owned container is a container owned by a carrier..

But the question may be a bit deeper than just the difference in definition between the two.. Let's see..

FONASBA is very pleased to announce that the winner of its Young Ship Agent or Broker Award for 2021 is Ana Ruiz Garcı́a de los Rios, of Bergé Logistics, who is based in Madrid.

Ana is both the first female winner of the Award and the first from Spain.

Why does a shipping line or agent check or have to check a Bill of Lading against customs documents.. What are they checking for and what should they be checking for..??

Cargo that must be loaded, maintained and or carried at a particular temperature for it to arrive its destination without deterioration is classified under refrigerated cargoes.

This article looks at how cargo survey for refrigerated and frozen cargoes works.

In one my previous articles, I explained the Difference between Demurrage and Detention..

After reading this, a few of my readers have asked me to explain the causes of demurrage and detention..

There are several reasons a container(s) can incur demurrage and/or detention or combined demurrage and detention.. Here are some of the major reasons..

If you are in the shipping and freight industry, you would have no doubt heard about a Delivery Order.. This article explains in detail all about a Delivery Order - what is it, who issues it, who should it be issued to and its importance..

Harbour, Port, Terminal, Berth, Quay, Pier, Jetty - you are not alone if you are confused about these terminologies..

To many of us, these terminologies sounds the same.. It took me also a while to understand the difference when I started out in this industry..

So here's how it works..

Shippers who deal with documentary credit know that the clause "Shipped on Board" on the bill of lading carries quite a bit of weight and there is often a lot of discussions, disputes and rejections from the side of the bank if there is any discrepancy in bill of lading in terms of the description of goods, customer details, shipped on board date, stamp or signature.. Since they are being so strict with documentation, one would naturally assume that the banks will verify whether the cargo covered in the bill of lading has actually been loaded on board the ship or not..

An article on how to safeguard cargo release using the correct type of bill of lading.. This article is based on a case study information received from one of the readers..

For any business to be successful, one needs to know the business, its model and requirements inside out.. Many businesses start with a great idea.. But there could be big gap between a great idea and a great startup and many people don’t have a clue on how to bridge this gap and may end up spending their life savings to start the business.. Forbes published an article on 10 Reality Checks Before Starting Your Own Business..

1. 1. Are you ready for the startup lifestyle?
   2. Are there customers with real pain and money?
   3. Is the market opportunity large and growing?
   4. Is this a crowded space already?
   5. Does your solution have hidden dependencies or costs?
   6. Do you have intellectual property to defend against competitors?
   7. Can you build a motivated and qualified team?
   8. Have you looked realistically at the costs?
   9. Do you have stamina and skills?
   10. Going “from” rather than “to”?

 

While the above is good for any business, if you are planning to start your own shipping and freight business, here are 7 reasons why you shouldn't start your own shipping and freight business..

Yes you are reading it right.. You shouldn't start your own shipping and freight business if :

NVOCC is one of the terms you would have heard quite often in day to day business particularly if you are in the US or Chinese markets..

This article explains in detail who an NVOCC is, how they work and what is their role in the industry..

There are several shipping jargon used in day to day business.. Port and Starboard are two such terms on a daily basis..

But not everyone is aware of the meanings and origins of these terms.. Here is an explanation..

The business of shipping hinges on the collaboration and action of various entities.. Shipping lines, ports, customs, ship owners, ship operators, ports and many more, all work in unison to get the cargo moving around the world..

This collaboration and co-operation is critical to ensure the safety of the ships carrying the cargo and the safety of the crew members operating the ships..

The registration of a ship plays an important role in ensuring safety and security of the ship and significantly contributes towards the protection and preservation of the marine environment..

As per IMO regulations, all ships must be surveyed in order to ensure that the ships under their register/flag are structurally sound and subscribes to design and safety standards and issue certificates which establishes a ship’s seaworthiness..

The Flag State of the vessel is the party responsible for the above survey and inspection.. This is achieved through Ship Classification..

This is achieved through Ship Classification..

In the IMDG Code, many actions are listed but the responsibility to carry out that action may not be specifically assigned to any particular person. The IMDG Code does however assign responsibilities to named persons or entities in certain cases, such as;

1. Shipper: for classification, assigning proper shipping name, packaging, marking, labelling, placarding, dangerous goods declaration
2. Packer: for packing of CTU and related responsibilities.
3. Master: of the vessel- responsibilities under SOLAS Chapter VII Part A & MARPOL Annex III
4. Competent Authorities: for granting exemptions and approvals

No one knows what is inside the box; everyone depends on the dangerous goods declaration.

The need for safe transportation of goods cannot be overemphasised..

Various incidents that have occurred around the world in terms of maritime disasters, weight misdeclarations and other mishaps bear testament to this important factor in shipping..

You might have seen ships with the SAFETY FIRST phrase emblazoned across the accommodation on the ship..

When we speak about safety especially in container shipping, one of the main items that needs to be considered is the safety aspect of using the shipping container as a Cargo Transporting Unit (CTU)..

Here I explain all about the CSC Plate and Safety Approval and container inspection regimes..