SHIPPING
A smooth port visit The shipping agent’s role Anyone working on cargo ships knows that there is a lot more to a port visit than simply coming alongside, unloading and/or loading, and departing again. The procedures already start while the vessel is still at sea, off the coast. The port authority needs to be notified of the ship’s arrival, pilot and tugboat services need to be arranged. The terminal needs to be ready with a berth available and linemen standing by on the quayside. Ship and cargo need to be cleared by customs, while crew and potential passengers need to be reported to immigration. Loading or unloading can then commence, which often occurs simultaneously with bunkering,
All photos courtesy of Scherp! Fotografie
Dennis De GrooT, GenerAl MAnAGer AT FlushinG shippinG AGencies.
stores or other supply deliveries in order to make the visit as short as possible. Then there are things to be arranged for the crew; perhaps there is a crew change or a crew member needs to see a doctor or dentist. All in all, the hours or days spent alongside are filled with ample formalities. Luckily for shipping companies (and vessel crews), that is where shipping agents come in. Shipping agents serve as a local partner for shipping companies, and they arrange and plan all the tasks listed above. With their broad knowledge of port formalities and large local network, shipping agents assist a ship’s crew with virtually everything when in port.
Flushing Shipping Agencies In North Sea Port, one of those agencies is Flushing Shipping Agencies (FSA). Based in the Bijleveldhaven in Vlissingen, FSA was founded in 2006. Between 2006 and 2016, the company merely experienced growth. What started as a two-person enterprise soon required another hand, and then another. FSA presently employs seven people. With fruit as its core sector, FSA’s location in the Bijleveldhaven is ideal. “When you look at the container and reefer vessels that currently frequent Vlissingen, we are exactly where we need to be,” explains Dennis de Groot, General Manager at FSA. “We also have offshore-related customers, such as ships carrying wind turbine parts. That is a completely different business but due to our location, it naturally grew as our neighbours are active in that segment.” When the company just started out, a large percentage of the vessels it performed services for sailed from Vlissingen to Saint Petersburg. When the Russian Federation issued its ban on fruit import from the European Union in 2014, FSA shifted its focus towards tankers and offshore supply vessels, among others. The shipping agency has meanwhile returned to its original core business of fruit. The increased fruit-related activity of Seatrade in the Bijleveldhaven is one of the factors that enables the company to do so. FSA has always had various loyal customers and has been providing its services to the same vessels for years. Like the Russian fruit import ban demonstrated, it is of vital importance for a shipping agent to draw on different pillars. While the focus for FSA remains on Vlissingen, Mr de Groot does see the benefits of the port merger. “North Sea Port can benefit from a strong international clout. The merged port has convincing figures to present to potential customers,” he says.
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