Glossary term
Agent
A party authorised to act on another’s behalf — booking cargo, clearing customs or handling a vessel — without owning the goods.
Someone acting for another party rather than on their own account. In trade the word covers several distinct roles: a port agent handling a vessel, a customs agent filing declarations, a buying or selling agent arranging transactions for a commission.
The distinction that matters is legal, not descriptive. An agent acts in the principal’s name and the principal is bound by what they do, which is why authority is usually documented rather than assumed.