Diploma in Port & Shipping Administration

The Diploma in Port and Shipping Administration (DPSA) is recognised worldwide as a professional qualification for those employed in the port and shipping industries.

The programme is aimed at professionals already working in the port and shipping fields, or qualified people who wish to do so. The DPSA and MSc programmes have many common elements, the main difference between them being that the Diploma does not contain a dissertation component. Students often select the DPSA because of time constraints, as it can be completed in nine months of study as opposed to the full year for the MSc. Successful graduates may be considered for further studies at Cardiff.

The diploma contains a taught component comprising three modules.
Students also research a topic agreed with academic staff and submit a written report detailing their findings.

The diploma contains a taught component comprising three modules.

Three modules from

Port Policy and Management

Port ownership and administration; Deregulation and institutional reforms in the port transport industry; Principles of management organisation; Port marketing and the commercial function; Port location; Employment reforms and policies; Port financial objectives; Port pricing and tariff structures; Environmental objectives in port management.

Electronic Commerce and Information Technology

The E Commerce and Information Technology module develops an understanding of the use of IT in the transport and logistics sectors. In the first semester the application of information technology in logistics, shipping and land transport is investigated. In the second semester electronic commerce and the new trading environment are addressed. The problems with paper based trading; the technology components of EDI; EDI and E-commerce in the transport sector; Ecommerce in different countries; Internet based E-commerce; E-Business and Supply Chain Management; Legal and security issues are considered.

Plus two modules from

Law of Carriage of Goods by Sea

Types of Charterparties: demise, time and voyage; Standard forms of Charter parties and legal analysis of the clauses; Bills of lading, functions, identifying the carrier, incorporation clauses, privity of contract, the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1971 and 1992; The Hamburg Rules; The law of freight; Laytime and demurrage.

Law of Marine Insurance

Introduction – the nature of marine insurance; The Form of the Policy; The Institute Clauses; The Insured Perils - Included and Excluded Losses; Insurable Interests; Time, Voyage and mixed policies; Commencement and Termination of Risks; Disclosure and Representations; Warranties - Express and Implied; The Measure of Indemnity – Total and Partial Losses; Actual and Constructive Total Losses; Particular Average Loss; General Average Loss; Salvage and Sue and Labour Charges.

International Transport & Sustainable Business

International Transport & Sustainable Business equips students with an understanding of sustainable business environmental auditing and the contribution that transportation can make to future sustainable societies. Concepts of business and sustainability; Industrial ecology; Green consumers; The Factor X debate; environmental economics; Eco-industrial parks; Closed loop systems; Innovative business models and sustainable competition; Business strategy and the environment; Relationships between economic geography, transportation and sustainability; Methods to assess environmental performance; Major environmental and related issues for the transportation sector including resource consumption, pollution, global warming, noise, safety, and impact on socio-spatial structures.

Shipping Economics

Introduction to the shipping markets; Bulk shipping markets including specialised markets; The economic mechanisms in shipping; Cyclical fluctuations; Forecasting and modelling of shipping; The limits of forecasting; Shipping Costs and shipping competitiveness; Aspects of shipping management; The nature of liner shipping; The structure of the liner market; Costing and pricing of liner shipping services; Co-operation and competition in shipping; National and International Policy issues.

International Shipping Policy

The international regulatory environment; Flag State functions and Port state control co-ordination; International versus regional and unilateral regulation; Political, military and violent threats to shipping; International Trade and International Shipping; Safety Output and Measurement; Formal Safety Assessment and Economic Methods of Appraisal; Accident analysis; Critical review of the regulation of marine safety; Flags of Convenience; Safety Ship Management and
Self-regulation; Manning Issues.

Students also research a topic agreed with academic staff and submit a written report detailing their findings.

Project

The 5,000 word project provides students with the opportunity to research a topic associated with port and shipping administration. The project is defined by students in co-operation with appropriate academic staff teaching on the programme.

Assessment

The approach to learning on the programme means that a reasonable emphasis is placed upon continuous assessment. In the taught component, assessment involves examinations, essays and project work.