November 28, 2016

Registration of Ships

All ships have to be registered in a country of the owner’s choice. Many owners choose to register their ships in their own country (e.g. a German shipowner will register his ship in Germany or a Japanese shipowner will register his ship in Japan.) However, for several reasons, a shipowner […]
November 28, 2016

Classification Societies

These are non-governmental organisations that draw up and maintain the standards for the construction and continued seaworthiness of vessels, including offshore structures such as oil rigs and platforms. Some of the main classification societies are as follows (The abbreviation that appears as part of a ship’s loadline and the country […]
November 29, 2016

Intermodal Transport Systems

To standardise international shipping procedures, various systems have been introduced on a global scale. In the shipping context, the term intermodal freight transport applies to the movement of containers via a number of types of transportation (train, ship, and/or truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing from one type of transport to […]
November 29, 2016

Incoterms, especially in the context of container shipping

What are Incoterms? Incoterms were drawn up by the International Chamber of Commerce. They are internationally recognised for all foreign cargo shipments. An incoterm refers to the following Costs: It identifies who is responsible for the expenses (shipping costs, insurance, customs duties, storage, etc) involved in a shipment from a […]
November 29, 2016

Test Yourself

A South African mining company wants to export 900 000 tons of coal to China via Richards Bay. In negotiations with the Chinese importer, the mining company agrees to instruct the shipbroker to arrange that the coal is shipped FOB. Who is the shipper – the mining company or the Chinese […]