What is Maritime shipping?

Movement of goods by sea which satisfies commerce, recreation or defense requirements is called maritime shipping. Maritime shipping could also imply a contract in which, a ship-owner or a charterer undertakes to carry the goods of another by water, or to furnish the ship for the purpose of carrying goods to a destination in return for a remuneration.

Throughout history, people and goods have moved between continents and across oceans by sea. Heavy loads and bulk cargo such as steel, petroleum coke ores or grains are a few such items that are necessarily transported by water, given the cost benefit and the mediums ability to handle such large quantities. The purpose of such movements may vary but the means of transportation almost always is boats, container ships, tankers, or barges.

Marine transportation drives 80–90% global trade, moving over 10 billion MT of container load, solid and liquid bulk cargo across the world’s oceans annually (Walker et al., 2019). Marine transportation can effectively and efficiently move almost any goods, though the advent of air travel proved preferable for perishable and high-value goods. The industrial revolution further improved ship transportation by capitalizing on the capabilities of internal combustion engine-power, and the subsequent adoption of containerization once again dramatically changed maritime transportation in the name of efficiency.

Maritime shipping stakeholders generally have a fleet made up of:

Barge carriers: Ships designed to carry either barges or containers exclusively, or a mix of barges and containers simultaneously. Currently this class includes two types of vessels, the LASH and the SEABEE
Bulk carriers: Bulk carriers are a type of ships that transports cargoes in bulk quantities. The cargo transported in such ships is loose cargo i.e. without any specific packaging to it and generally contains solid goods like food grains, ores and coals and even cement.
Tankers: When liquefied cargo is carried by the bulk ships, such vessels are called tankers. Typically, such cargo includes, oil, petrol and various other liquid substances.
Chemical carriers: Usually carry special chemicals that require careful handling and dispensation
Mixed cargo: Some types of ships are designed to meet different cargo requirements through customization, whereas some small container ships have foldable decks to serve as feeder vessels. Some general cargo ships can carry standard containers and some amount of bulk cargoes in addition to the general cargo. The cargo hold design is done meticulously keeping the pre-requisites of trade in mind and at the same time to improve profits by carrying the maximum volume/weight of cargo or the number of containers in case of container vessels.
Container carriers: container ships are characterized by the absence of cargo handling gear, in their case reflecting the usual practice of locating the container-handling cranes at shore terminals rather than aboard ship. Unlike the tanker, container ships require large hatches in the deck for stowing the cargo, which consists of standardized containers usually either 20 or 40 feet in length. Belowdecks, the ship is equipped with a cellular grid of compartments opening to the weather deck; these are designed to receive the containers and hold them in place until unloading is achieved at the port of destination. The ship is filled to the deck level with containers, the hatches are closed, and one or two layers of containers, depending upon the size and stability of the ship, are loaded on the hatch covers on deck.

At Amigoz Singapore PTE LTD, which is one of the fastest growing shipping agency companies based in Singapore, we have the experience and capability to handle all types of vessels as per customer needs and priorities. We have an efficient team of boarding officers and technical advisors who will ensure that you are always delighted by what you receive.

Maritime industry includes a whole bouquet of professionals, including:

Ship-owners: A shipowner is the legal owner of the ship. Shipowner can also be another organization or person who has taken over the responsibility for the vessel from the ownersuch as employing the crew, or management of the vessel
Charterers: Simply put a charterer is a person or an organization who has chartered a vessel for a purpose. Chartering may be done for a period (time charter) for a trip (voyage charter) or for the entire operation & management of the vessel (Demise charter)
Shipping agents: shipping agent is the party representing the ship’s owner and charterer in port. The shipping agent is responsible for arranging a berth, all required port and husbandry services, looking after the needs of the Master and crew, clearing the ship with the port and other authorities, preparation and submission of appropriate documentation, along with releasing or receiving cargo on behalf of the principal.
Marine logistics companies: They are responsible for receiving, storage and movement of goods on behalf of principals. They manage the local customs and other regulatory requirements of a particular destination.
Ship chandlers: Also known as supermarkets for ships, chandlers are essentially retail dealers. They work exclusively for ships, providing supplies and equipment.
Maritime brokers: A ship broker, sometimes called a freight broker or chartering broker, is a professional who transports cargo on behalf of companies. They make money by arranging and managing a transaction between the shipper, the company with goods to ship, and the carrier, the ship owner that can transport the goods across the sea. A ship broker’s responsibility is to get an affordable deal for the buyer and pay a fair price to the seller. Ship brokers may also act as sales and purchase brokers, intermediaries to supervise the sale and buying of ships. In these cases, they work on behalf of a client, typically a ship owner but sometimes a buyer, to assess the viability and risks of transactions.

Owners, charterers or brokers, Amigoz has delivered shipping happiness to all of them since inspection. In fact, we deal with customers from all over the world handling different cargoes and vessel types. At Amigoz Singapore PTE LTD, our only obsession is our customers. We focus on fulfilling all their shipping needs seamlessly, so that they can focus on their business rest assured.