What is Liner Agency?
Liner agency is the designated agency held responsible for handling shipments and cargo, and the general interests of its customers, at ports and harbors worldwide or locally, on behalf of a liner shipping company which is called principal. The liner agency company can represent the line by its network under a local regional or global liner agency agreement.
The main service areas of a liner agency are as follows: customer services, customer relationship management (CRM), sales & marketing, software and hardcopy based documentation (stowage plans, bill of lading, arrival notices, manifest filing, freight invoicing etc.), financial reporting, port operations, equipment control and repair for containers or roll trailers, claims handling. An efficient liner agency is obliged to track and control containers and roll trailers, both on and off-vessel by managing the stocks in multiple locations for the name of ensuring that the empty equipment is returned on time and are available for export. This is executed usually by using the integrated software of the principal. In addition to the accurate and efficient financial reporting to the principal the main target of a liner agency is efficient vessel turnaround time. A container vessel turnaround time corresponds to the time of a vessel enters to the ports limits and when it exits the confines the port. The finance department of an efficient liner agency provides a financial service that is focused on credit control and ensuring disbursements are paid on time.