International Maritime Union - Kolokotroni 99

As part of an ongoing commitment to support the provision of appropriate and relevant education at all levels across the ship broking and ship agency professions, FONASBA has joined forces with ASBA, its member association in the USA, to offer a practical entry-level course for new entrants to the ship agency sector.

The Diploma is based on ASBA’s own very successful Agent Exam which is one component of a company’s annual certification for the FONASBA Quality Standard in the USA. To date the ASBA Exam has been taken by more than 1,500 US-based ship agents.

The FONASBA version is open to employees of company members of any of it’s Full Member associations and employees of Associate Member companies. It is however aimed primarily at those countries where the availability of such courses is low or non-existent.

The Diploma is awarded after a student has completed a course of study, using training materials provided by FONASBA, and having successfully completed an online multiple choice examination. Briefly summarised, the course covers:

• The basics of ship agency, including the role and responsibilities of the agent, the relationship with the principal, establishing an agency relationship and the responsibilities and obligations of the agent when handling the vessel
• Common types of vessels and cargoes the agent may encounter and the specific requirements of each one
• Detailed glossaries of the main elements of charters and the terms used in both chartering and in the wider shipping industry
• A summary of commonly used shipping documents and their role in the agency sector
• The relationship between the ship agent and the classification societies and marine surveys

The course will be offered to applicants by their local FONASBA member association who will register the student with ASBA. Thereafter ASBA will communicate directly with the student, provide the course materials and grant access to the online examination facility. Following successful completion of the course, the student will receive the FONASBA Diploma in recognition of their achievement.

Students interested in taking the FONASBA Diploma course are invited to contact their local FONASBA member association, through their employer, for further information. A list of FONASBA members, together with full contact details, can be found here.