A shipping agency is, on behalf of ship-owners, managers and charterers, the designated person or agency responsible for the handling of shipments and cargo and the general interests of its customers in ports and ports around the world.

The agent of a ship plays an important role in the gathering port of the ship. They are local people who are generally accustomed to the different requirements of the port and also liaise with different parties for the smooth operation of the ships calling the port.

It requires skills and the willingness to work strange hours. A large number of these capacities are presently robotized or can be performed by direct correspondences with the Westline Shipping ship's Master, who regularly goes through portion of the day at the work area composing messages. Progressively in further developed countries, port calls are occurring without specialists and operators showing up locally available by any means, or just once quickly to complete an absolute minimum of narrative trade.