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Led by Samuel Cunard Simulacrum
The liner trades specialism of the maritime series, following the coverage of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers' Liner Trades syllabus. Twelve modules take the practitioner into scheduled, containerised, intermodal liner shipping — the nature of liner services, the fleet, terminals and cargo handling, running a liner company, containerisation and intermodalism, alliances and conferences, bills of lading, tariffs and pricing, import/export finance, the law of the liner trades, ship and port security, and the business of liner shipping. Led by the Samuel Cunard Simulacrum, with the container and terminal modules taught by Malcolm McLean, the legal modules by Lord Mansfield, and pricing and finance by Penelope Smythe-Bottomley.
Led by Samuel Cunard Simulacrum
The question
What turns a ship into a liner — and how does that differ from a tramp? Taught by Samuel Cunard, who founded the first scheduled line, this module covers the principles of the liner trades: the characteristics of liner services and their differences from tramp services; the main world trade routes, their commodities, vessels, and ports, and the east/west versus north/south distinction; the service options (RTW, pendulum, hub-and-spoke, end-to-end, feeder, coastal); the businesses involved (owners, operators, NVOCCs, forwarders); and the trade organisations and regulatory bodies.
Outcome
You can characterise a trade lane and identify the service pattern and businesses likely to operate it. (Basic definitions and principles in the liner trades)
Sub-units
Led by Samuel Cunard Simulacrum
The question
Can you tell a cellular giant from a feeder, and reckon a ship's capacity in TEU? This module covers the liner fleet: the types and sizes of container ships (cellular, non-cellular, post-Panamax, hatchless, feeders, eco-ships); the ro-ro types and other liner vessels (reefers, multipurpose, tweendeck); the measurement terminology (NT, GT, DWAT, DWCC, displacement, bale and grain cubic, lane metres, and TEU); and the on-board cargo-handling equipment, ro-ro access, and hold layouts.
Outcome
You can identify suitable vessel types for a liner service and read their capacity in the right measures. (The ships)
Sub-units
Led by Malcolm McLean Simulacrum
The question
The box changed the port more than the ship — so how is liner cargo handled, stowed, and moved through a terminal? Taught by Malcolm McLean, inventor of the container, this module covers terminals and cargo handling: the commodities handled by liners and their methods of carriage (containerised, palletised, heavy-lift, out-of-gauge, LCL break-bulk); the issues in loading containers (stowage factors, packing, weight limits) and how stowage is planned; the IMO/IMDG regulations and class structure for dangerous goods; and port and terminal operations, layout, and the difference between hub/transhipment and local/regional ports.
Outcome
You can explain how a cargo would be handled, stowed, and (if dangerous) classified at a liner terminal. (Port terminals and cargo handling)
Sub-units
Led by Samuel Cunard Simulacrum
The question
A liner company is a network business — so how is it structured, and how does it work with agencies in every port? Taught by Samuel Cunard, this module covers liner organisation and management: the management structure and functional activities (technical, operations, sales/marketing, commercial); the choice between in-house and independent agencies and their advantages and disadvantages; the FONASBA Standard Liner and General Agency Agreement; and the functions performed by a liner agency.
Outcome
You can reason about how a liner company entering a trade would structure its functions and agency arrangements. (Liner shipping organisation and management)
Sub-units
Led by Malcolm McLean Simulacrum
The question
How did a steel box unlock the seamless movement of goods from factory to door across ship, rail, and road? Taught by Malcolm McLean, who invented it, this module covers containerisation and intermodalism: the concept and its development into intermodalism; the container types and their dimensions and purpose; the terminology (FCL, LCL, house-to-house, port-to-port); the inland network of depots (ICDs), feeder services, and haulage, with the carrier/merchant haulage distinction; and container management — fleet size, owning versus leasing, maintenance, tracking, interchange, and the grey-box concept.
Outcome
You can explain the intermodal chain of a door-to-door movement, the container type, and how the box is managed. (Containerisation, intermodal transport and logistics)
Sub-units
Led by Samuel Cunard Simulacrum
The question
Why do liner companies band together, and where is the line between efficient co-operation and unlawful cartel? This module covers the forms of co-operation: the rationale for alliances, consortia, and joint service agreements and their similarities and differences; the role and evolution of conferences; and the statutory control and regulation of liner co-operation, including the US Federal Maritime Commission and the European Competition Directorate.
Outcome
You can classify a co-operative arrangement, explain its rationale, and identify the regulatory regime that bears on it. (Forms of co-operation in the liner industry)
Sub-units
Led by Lord Mansfield Simulacrum
The question
In the liner trade the bill of lading is paramount — so do you know its functions, its clauses, and the conventions that govern it? Taught by Lord Mansfield, this module covers bills of lading and documents: the paramount importance and functions of the bill and the effect of legislation like COGSA; the impact and differences of the Hague, Hague-Visby, Hamburg, and Rotterdam Rules; clean and claused bills, and letters of indemnity and the avoidance of fraud; the bill types (ocean, through, combined transport, waybill) and major clauses (Clause Paramount, Himalaya, identity of carrier, protection); the other trade documents; and the role of IT and e-commerce.
Outcome
You can identify the bill type and clauses, the governing convention, and the documents and systems involved in a liner shipment. (Bills of lading and other documents)
Sub-units
Led by Penelope Smythe-Bottomley Simulacrum
The question
A ship sails full or empty — so how does a line price its service to fill her at the best yield? Taught by Penelope Smythe-Bottomley, this module covers tariff construction and pricing: yield management to set prices and select cargo; how strategies of contribution, revenue, or market-share maximisation and the pricing of dominant/non-dominant legs and container imbalances influence pricing; tariff structures (commodity versus FAK, weight/volume versus container rates); the adjustment factors (CAF, BAF, war-risk and congestion surcharges); and the charges other than sea freight (terminal handling, LCL, container demurrage).
Outcome
You can reason about how a line would price a cargo on a trade and what surcharges and ancillary charges would apply. (Tariff construction, pricing and agreements)
Sub-units
Led by Penelope Smythe-Bottomley Simulacrum
The question
Behind every container is a cross-border sale that must be paid for across risk and distance — so how is it financed? Taught by Penelope Smythe-Bottomley, this module covers the financial aspects of import and export: the methods of payment in the international sale of goods; the impact of documentary credits and the ICC Uniform Customs and Practice on shipping documentation; and the different types of sale contract, including Incoterms and how they allocate carriage, insurance, risk, and cost.
Outcome
You can explain how a liner shipment under a sale contract is paid for, how the documentary credit operates, and how the Incoterm allocates carriage and risk. (Financial aspects of import and export business)
Sub-units
Led by Lord Mansfield Simulacrum
The question
When liner cargo is lost or damaged, how does a claim proceed, how is liability limited, and what is the agent's exposure? Taught by Lord Mansfield, this module covers the law of the liner trades: carriers' and merchants' responsibilities and limitations of liability; the cargo-claim procedure and the noting of protest; the carrier's insurance (hull and machinery, P&I) and the basic principles and documentation of general average; and the liner agent's liabilities, authority, breach of warranty of authority, and fiduciary duty.
Outcome
You can identify the liability framework, the claims procedure, and the agent's exposure in a liner cargo claim or agency dispute. (Legal aspects of liner trades)
Sub-units
Led by Malcolm McLean Simulacrum
The question
The container that made trade efficient also made it a target — so how are ships and ports secured? Taught by Malcolm McLean, this module covers ship and port security: the need for security in the high-volume container trade, and the operation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code — its requirements for ships and port facilities, security assessments, plans, officers, and levels.
Outcome
You can explain how the ISPS Code governs the security of a ship and the terminals it uses across a liner service. (Ship and port security — the ISPS Code)
Sub-units
Led by Samuel Cunard Simulacrum
The question
As a business of great companies and vast fleets, how does a liner operator read its market, plan its fleet, and compete? Taught by Samuel Cunard, this module covers the business of liner shipping: the main operators, their ownership, and development; the drivers of demand, the development of the global fleet, and the importance of the supply-and-demand balance; how lines plan their fleet and networks (owning versus chartering, newbuildings, cascading); and the main costs, the fixed/variable distinction, and how lines compete effectively.
Outcome
You can reason about how a liner company would plan its fleet and protect its competitiveness under a given market condition. (Business issues in the liner trades)
Sub-units