Liner agent. In liner services, the carrier is very much like a public carrier and marketing becomes important to obtain cargo that will generate freight revenue.
Marketing includes the “promotion” of the product which is, in this situation, the space available for the cargo. The promotion can be done by advertisement in the shipping press and also by word of mouth from a sales force. The ocean carrier can perform these functions himself but it may be common to use the service of “liner agents” to advertise the services, solicit cargo and process the documentation, among other functions. The company providing liner agents~ services may be an independent company or a subsidiary company of the ocean carrier. A liner agent subsidiary of an ocean carrier may also act as an “independent” agent for other liner operators, especially when the transport services are provided by a consortium or by a liner conference.
