ASBA's Landmark Agent Certification Celebrated Decade

In a recent survey conducted by the Association of Ship Brokers & Agents (USA) Inc. (ASBA), maritime principals ranked the criteria deemed most important in their decision to appoint a ship’s agent.
-    Fiscally responsible agency company 
-    Trained boarding agents 
-    Past experience with the ship agent and the agent’s experience with the cargo and vessel type

ASBA’s Agent Member Certification renewed annually, specifically addresses these criteria. This month ASBA celebrates 10 years of its Agent Member Certification.  However, in order to describe what it means to be ASBA certified – what, exactly, is an agent, and what does an agent do?

Except for the pilot, the first and last person to board or depart during every ship’s port call is the ship’s agent. The agent is like a control tower for a ship’s port call, coordinating local scheduling and logistics with the key players – the owner, charterer, shipper, receiver, terminal, and, of course, the ship. 

The agent dispatches the local services necessary for a successful port call by arranging pilotage, towage, and customs entry and clearance, while navigating deftly through the myriad national and local regulatory requirements involving the ship, her cargo and crew.  Beyond the commercial operation there is an often an extensive list of husbanding requirements that includes coordination of ship’s stores and spare parts as well as crew changes, crew medical, and service technicians. 

An agent’s job is to (safely and economically) expedite the vessel’s port call. Understanding the impact of high daily operating costs of ships and marine terminals, the pressures of berth congestion, and contract deadlines for loading and unloading cargoes contributes positively to the success of a voyage. Solid rapport and good standing within the local marine community is critical. The agent stands in the shoes of his, or her, principal, protecting their interest at a specified port.

Fiscal Responsibility 

ASBA member agents must retain an external Certified Public Accountant to complete a procedural review in order to attest in writing to ASBA that the member maintains separate files by principal and that all financial transactions are properly supported by invoices and receipts that tie back to their general ledger.  Fiscally sound accounting practices should be a key component of the principals risk management strategy.

Trained

Certified Agent Members must maintain a well trained staff that is service oriented and armed with knowledge to make necessary decisions on behalf of their principals. All member boarding agents and their managers must successfully complete a comprehensive exam administered by ASBA.  

ASBA provides a variety of maritime courses and seminars on ship broking, chartering, and agency to meet the needs of members for initial training and ongoing education. Other courses offered by ASBA include maritime law, marine insurance, and commercial trade transactions. ASBA’s Annual Cargo Conference has become the must attend maritime event in the U.S. and provides member agents with another avenue to expand their industry knowledge. Panelists include charterers, owners, and operators that share their thoughts on the hot topics of the year as well as their views on the market and trends in shipping.  

Experienced

ASBA’s thirty member agents handled approximately 43,000 vessel calls in the U.S. and Canada in 2013. Of this total, 14,000 were dry bulk and break bulk vessels. Based on our calculations, ASBA Certified Agents have represented close to 65 percent of the dry and wet bulk vessels calling US ports that year. In terms of experience, these statistics tell a clear story.

ASBA was formed in 1934. Members use the Association to address issues affecting their companies and principals on a national level as well to advocate for quality. ASBA’s landmark member certification was embraced by its international counterpart, the Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers & Agents (FONASBA) in 2007 and is now known as the FONASBA Quality Standard. Owner’s organizations, BIMCO, INTERTANKO, and INTERCARGO, recognized the value of promoting “quality” in the appointment of ship agents when they endorsed the Quality Standard.

As a best practice that supports operational excellence and risk mitigation, ASBA encourages all vessel charterers, owners, and operators to nominate and appoint ASBA Certified Agents at USA and Canada ports whenever possible.