A vessel calling at a Brazilian port answers to more parties than its own crew — port authorities, customs, health and environmental agencies, terminal operators. Someone has to represent the shipowner or charterer in front of every one of them, while coordinating what happens on board and on the dock at the same time. That's what a shipping agent does — and it's the base every other WeSea service is built on.
What WeSea does as your shipping agent
- Legal representation. WeSea acts on behalf of the shipowner or charterer before port and local authorities for the full duration of the call.
- Single-window documentation (DUV). Registering the data every vessel needs on file to berth in Brazil at all — the mandatory single-window record required by port authorities.
- Customs and regulatory clearance. Cargo paperwork and clearance handled directly with Receita Federal, Polícia Federal, Anvisa, and Ibama — no back-and-forth through a third party.
- Berthing coordination. Arrival, berthing, unberthing, and departure managed end-to-end, synced with terminal and port schedules.
- Bunkering and husbandry. Fuel supply, provisioning, and crew welfare — including medical assistance and visa support for foreign crew — coordinated on the ground, not outsourced blind.
- Line-up and cargo condition tracking. Daily visibility on the vessel line-up, berth prospects, and weather conditions that matter for moisture-sensitive bulk cargo like coal.
- Container and cost control. Tracking container status and demurrage exposure so nothing shows up as a surprise on the account.
- Centralized communication. One line connecting the vessel's master, the shipowner or charterer, terminal operators, and port authorities — nothing gets lost between parties.
- Owner's and charterer's agency. WeSea represents shipowners and charterers alike, depending on who appoints us for the call.
Why the details matter
Port clearance runs on deadlines that don't forgive. Anvisa's free pratique certificate, for example, requires the fee to be paid and confirmed — a process that alone takes about 48 hours — with all information filed at least two days before the vessel's arrival. Miss that window, and a fully ready vessel can sit outside the bar for days over a single certificate. This is the kind of detail a shipping agent is supposed to already have under control.
This is the service every port call starts with. Everything else WeSea offers — including protective agency — sits on top of this same local presence in Mucuripe and Pecém.