FONASBA Certificate in the Fundamentals of Shipbroking

Running in parallel with FONASBA’s courses for ship agents, this new course has been developed with support of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) to provide an introduction to those new to the ship broking profession. It will also be of interest to others who may wish to expand their knowledge of this vital sector of the maritime industry.

Developed by the market leader in the provision of education and training to shipbrokers, the course is designed to compliment on the job training and is structured to fit around the needs of the student and their employer.

The course is exclusively available to companies that are members of FONASBA national associations or are themselves FONASBA Associate members. Registration for the course and administration of it are coordinated through the relevant national association.

Similar to the FONASBA Agent Diploma, the course is delivered online and covers the broad aspects of the shipbroking profession. Amongst others, the content covers the following subjects:

  • The parties to the contract;
  • Types of brokers;
  • Contracts and bills of lading;
  • Offer and acceptance;
  • Preparing the ship for the voyage;
  • Loading and discharging the cargo;
  • Delivery and redelivery, on and off-hire formalities;
  • The mechanics of fixing the ship;
  • After the fixture;
  • International Shipping Organisations

Dedicated learning material is provided for each module, together with a comprehensive glossary of terms and definitions and a threaded discussion forum.

Students have twelve weeks to complete the course and take the online examination, consisting of 50 randomly chosen questions. The pass mark is 75% and successful students will receive a certificate in recognition of their achievement. Unsuccessful students will be supported with feedback and guidance from ICS on areas for further study and will be able to retake the examination twice more should this prove necessary.

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.

Please note that completion of this course does not count towards any exemptions or credits for other shipping qualifications provided by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.