Shipnext and FONASBA partner to raise standards in online shipping

Dec 20, 2023

Leading online cargo platform Shipnext and The Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents (FONASBA) have signed a partnership agreement with the aim of building a safer and more reliable digital shipping community.

Founded in in 1969, London-based FONASBA works to protect and represent the professions of ship brokers and agents at an international level, as well as promote fair and equitable practices. It is the international representative organisation for ship agents and ship brokers and has consultative status with IMO, UNCTAD, UN/CEFACT, the World Customs Organisation and the European Commission. FONASBA has members in almost 70 countries, representing more than 5,000 individual companies.

Shipnext CEO and founder Alexander Varvarenko (right) and Jonathan C. Williams, general manager at FONASBA (left), signed a partnership agreement to build a safer and more reliable digital shipping community.

As a result of the partnership, only FONASBA-approved ship brokers and agents will be listed as service providers in the Shipnext Ports module. When new companies obtain FONASBA Quality Standard approval, Shipnext will update the platform to display the new agents in the relevant port or country.

Shipnext will also add a Standardized Port Disbursement Account Request Form, developed in conjunction with FONASBA, allowing Shipnext users to contact FONASBA agents regarding their services and initiate their shipping transaction.

“Our exclusivity agreement with FONASBA allows us to continue improving Shipnext, ensuring that only the highest quality agents are listed on our Port pages. The partnership also unlocks a customised shipping platform and communication space where FONASBA agents can gather and do business,” said Alexander Varvarenko, founder and CEO of Shipnext.

Shipnext provides shipping solutions and intelligence for customers with breakbulk, wet-bulk, dry-bulk, containerized, heavy and oversized cargoes. It has thousands of daily users, including brokers, traders, shippers, forwarders and carriers, and supports the transition away from email by using digital algorithms and AI-driven technology to facilitate instant freight-matching and automation of workflows.