Ship’s Agents solutions A multifaceted approach to ships’ agency services – A.R. Savage & Son

“To professionals of the maritime industry, what a ship’s agent does — coordinate all compliance and logistical arrangements to get a ship into port, discharged and/or loaded, documented, and out of port as efficiently as possible — is well understood,” writes Mike

Augustine, COO, A.R. Savage Company, LLC

“The value proposition that an agent brings — working with USCG, CBP, Terminals and Port Authorities, taking care of the crew and required paperwork (statements of facts, shipping manifest, stowage plan, bill of lading, etc.) and myriad other issues — is often more nuanced and not immediately recognized until emergent situations arise.

“Because of this, it’s important for a ship agent to understand the many facets of the port, the cargo, and the vessel. For instance, we work with a great deal of phosphate-based fertilizers and related products in Tampa Bay, so understanding how this cargo is loaded and unloaded, which berths are suited to accept them — including, perhaps most importantly how their schedules and berth rotations are prioritized/deconflicted — and any intricacies about the vessel in terms of docking or loading are necessary to effectively serve our clients. The money saved in efficient operations and turnaround time far exceeds the fees of a premium service provider like A.R. Savage & Son — our core customers understand and appreciate that.

“Since our last published article in this periodical in 2015, we’ve increased our capabilities with large investments in people, tools and training. These investments have improved our abilities to more effectively and efficiently serve our customers. One of the many advantages showed itself during Covid-19. Our tools and training allowed our people to work from home, with careful visits to the ports and ships, and our managers to monitor all inquiries, work in progress and billing while we kept our people safe and the ships moving. High-performing ships and their crews know that having a high-performing support team ashore is key to consistent success and in turn, profits. Our services extend far past our internal capabilities with an extensive list of capable vendors. Our vetting process focuses on capabilities, certifications, safety, risk management and price. If our ships have a need, we have a solution.

“Locally here in Tampa Bay, we’re busy being an advocate for our customers to promote and protect their interests. As one of the families that first brought shipping to Tampa Bay in 1846, we also spend a tremendous amount of time promoting and protecting our ports, their competitiveness and their value to the region. We regularly speak and publish newsletters to local special interest groups to help them understand the economic value the ports bring to central Florida; 50% of Tampa Bay’s cargoes relates to dry bulk such as coal, granite, limestone, fertilizers (DAP, MAP, MESZ, ammonium nitrates, potash, and urea), salt, cement, fly ash, slag, scrap metal, and bauxite. The other 48% is liquid cargoes, with the balance being breakbulk, containers and cruise.

“Challenges to ports around the world are many. Constant new regulations, cost increases, urban growth and development into waterfront areas, push the maritime industry and associated jobs farther away or, in some cases, out altogether. Those issues have gained steam in recent years here in Tampa and we, along with the Tampa Port Authority, and industry advocacy groups are at the forefront of mitigating any negative impact to the maritime industry and disruption of trade in general.

“Over our history, A.R. Savage & Son has been asked to represent our customers in other ports. Until recently we declined and referred the business to other Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ASBA) quality-certified agents that we were confident could serve the customer well. In the last few years, our expanded capabilities have allowed us to consider and confidently accept the representation of several accounts in other ports and centrally manage them from Tampa. This has allowed us to showcase our value while customers generate requirements elsewhere and consequently, have asked us to scale up to fulfill their needs on a national scale. Because of this, we’ve engaged in agreements with other Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ASBA) quality-certified agents to join us in servicing those accounts on our behalf. Those additional ports are currently in New Jersey, Texas, and California.

“From a global perspective, we were honoured to be nominated for membership in the Multiport Ship Agencies Network, as the representative for the U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast and Virgin Islands. Coupled with our ASBA credentials and FONASBA network, membership in these organizations is very much aligned with our strategy, mission and long-term goals.”