A large amount of a shipping company’s representative, or ‘agent's’ preparation work for a Trans-Atlantic Liner is completed a year to eighteen months in advance. The ship’s movements are planned meticulously; pilots, berths, stevedores, mooring gangs and even gangway positions are pre-booked. The Agent will work closely with UK Customs and Excise lodging passenger, crew and cargo manifests with them to help maintain immigration control of the people disembarking. One of the agents that deals with the ‘Queen Mary II’ comments that ‘If you have nothing to do on the day the ship arrives, you know you have done a really good job!

The weeks before the vessel arrives are the busiest for an agent. Spare engine parts from around the world may have to be ordered to arrive in time for the ship to collect in port. The vessel’s fuel, food and crew requirements will be arranged in advance. Crew lists are updated and replacement crewmembers are arranged when necessary. Removal of the ship’s rubbish will be organised, which is a big undertaking. Just picture a large liner such as the ‘Queen Mary II’ as a floating city that can only do such things in port.

Once the ship is in port the agent may face any number of tasks that could not have been predicted. Often medical or dental care for the crew may be needed. Occasionally crew leave the ship and need to be replaced unexpectedly, sometimes a crewmember needs to be repatriated to his or her home country. If a crewmember is a foreign national and leaves the vessel without permission, immigration authorities need to be informed.

The arrival and departure of passengers can only be planned to a certain extent. On a surprisingly regular basis, passengers fail to arrive in time to leave with the vessel; an agent will try to resolve any problems this creates. Occasionally there may be a death on a long cruise. The agent will organize for the body to be removed and returned to the country of residence or make appropriate arrangements at port. Lost luggage is fortunately a more common problem!

Queen Mary II seen from Marchwood

The ‘Queen Mary II’ will often only be in port for 12 hours. All of her requirements will have to be carefully planned and carried out precisely. She sails with the tide and planning for the next port would be ruined by a late departure. When the ship sails the work for the agent is not finished. Invoices for the contracts undertaken will start to arrive, clearance paperwork and reports will be written, information will be forwarded to counterparts at the next port of call and planning will already be underway for her next visit.

Supplying the liner

Preparation in port

Loading cargo

Preparing for a modern liner