110046 - SHIPPING COMPANY ORGANIZATION

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Valeria Bernardo

Trimester: Third term

Credits: 4

Academic year: 2026

Teaching course: 1

• Spanish

The subject Shipping Company Organization offers the student a comprehensive vision of contemporary maritime business, from the growing maritimeization of the global economy to the internal functioning of shipping companies. Throughout the term, the major trade routes and strategic steps that articulate international trade, container traffic and its operational and documentary cycle, as well as the transport of liquid and solid bulks and the energy markets that depend on them are analyzed.

The program culminates with the study of the organizational structure of the shipping company, the figure of the consignment agent, the impact of new technologies and the regulatory and certification framework —safety, protection and quality— that governs the activity of the sector today.

With an approach that combines academic rigor and professional experience, the subject prepares the student to understand and manage the complexity of the international maritime logistics chain.

The classroom (physical or virtual) is a safe space, free of sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and discriminatory attitudes, either towards the students or towards the teaching staff. We trust that we can all create a safe space where we can make mistakes and learn without having to suffer other prejudices.

1.  THE MARITIMEIZATION OF THE CONTEMPORARY ECONOMY

1.1.  Historical evolution of international maritime transport

1.2.  Considerations on current maritime transport

1.3.  The so-called "maritime cycle" in the economy

1.4.  Maritime traffic

2.  MARITIME TRADE ROUTES

2.1.  Main maritime trade routes

2.2.  Types of sea routes

2.3.  Factors determining the routes to follow

2.4.  Strategic steps

2.5.  Geographic distribution of maritime traffic

2.6.  Inland and oceanic canals

2.6.1.  Definitions

2.6.2.  Corinth Canal

2.6.3.  Kiel Canal

2.6.4.  Panama Canal

2.6.5.  Suez Canal

2.6.6.  St. Lawrence Canal

3.  CONTAINER TRAFFIC

3.1.  Historical evolution of container cargo

3.1.1.  Basics

3.1.2.  The container business

3.1.3.  The container cycle on land

3.1.3.1. The container in port terminals

3.1.3.2. The container in the container depot

3.1.3.3. The importance of container maintenance and repair

3.1.3.4. The offer of container services according to their types

3.1.3.5. Management of breakdowns and incidents in container transport

3.2.  Documentary cycle of container transport

3.2.1.  Transmission of information between shipping companies, terminals and ports of destination

3.3.  Relationship between shipping companies and freight forwarders

3.4.  Inspections and controls in container traffic

3.5.  Management of safety and security in international maritime traffic

4.  BULK TRADE

4.1.  The bulk business in general — general cargo

4.2.  Routes and international traffic

4.3.  The importance of OPEC in the oil market

4.4.  Transport of crude oil and its derivatives

4.5.  Transport on chemical ships

4.6.  Business derived from oil tankers

4.7.  Types of oil terminals

4.8.  Study of solid bulk terminals

5.  INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF A SHIPPING COMPANY

5.1.  Divisions and departments

5.2.  Structures and functions

5.3.  Responsibilities towards other actors in the logistics chain

5.4.  Historical evolution of the consignment agent

5.5.  Economic study of the consignee agent

5.6.  The use of new technologies in the shipping business

5.6.1.  Related international agreements

6.  CURRENT CERTIFICATIONS IN THE SHIPPING COMPANY BUSINESS

6.1.  Agreements related to safety and protection

6.2.  ISO 27000

6.3.  ISO 28000 standard

6.4.  LOPD

6.5.  C-TPAT / IPSAS

6.6.  The Authorized Economic Operator

The final grade will be the weighting of the grades of the activities carried out throughout the term. To pass the subject, the final grade will need to be greater than or equal to 5 points out of 10.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The evaluation will take into account the following aspects, with the ratings indicated:

• Practical virtual assessment exercises: 20 % — All exercises are mandatory. If a maximum of two exercises are missing, the grade corresponding to the continuous assessment will be "zero", that is, it will not count towards the average for the rest of the subject. These practical exercises will be carried out via virtual campus.
• Evaluation through group seminars: 30 % — Topics will be assigned to each group, which will prepare a written work and make a presentation with infographics.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Punctuality is an important factor to consider in student evaluation.
• The minimum required attendance is 80 %.
• To be able to configure the grade with continuous assessment monitoring, you will need to obtain a minimum score of 4 points in the written work of 20% and 5 points in the final exam. If any of the previous items is not obtained and/or the average of the 3 items is less than 5 points, the recovery test must be taken, which will take place after the final exam period.
• Students who do not appear for the final exam will not be entitled to the retake exam and, therefore, they lose all the grade.
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• Final exam: 50 % — Students' understanding of the subject matter will be assessed.

Maritime Transport Manual. (Montorio, Martínez, Escribano), Editorial Marge Books https://www.amazon.es/dp/8415340311 

Martínez Marín, Jesus. (2021) Fundamentals of Logistics and Port Operations. JMM editions. ISBN13-978-8409278633 (Available via. Https://n9.cl/xnvdo )

Martínez, Montori, Badell (2021) Maritime Transport of Dangerous Goods. Publishers JMM ISBN13979-8749391299. Available via: https://n9.cl/42dew

 SPANISH MARITIME INSTITUTE. Economy of the Maritime Sector. Madrid Ed. IME 2009

FREIRE S, M & GONZÁLEZ, F. Economy of Maritime Transport. University Institute of Maritime Studies, A Coruña, 2003