The marketing of shipping companies activating in merchant shipping, is the science of Business to Business Marketing (B2B marketing), which deals with the satisfaction of charterer’s – shipper’s needs for the carriage of goods by sea, with main aim the profit of the enterprise. This satisfaction presupposes on the one hand correct diagnosis of the shipping market to better understand and forecast client’s (charterer’s – shipper’s) transport needs and on the other hand appropriate organization, planning and control of the shipping enterprise’s means. The more the shipping enterprise tries to discover what its clients need, to adapt the chartering policy to their requirements, to offer appropriate transport services, to negotiate the freight as a function to what it offers, as well as to communicate effectively with the market it targets, the more are the possibilities to achieve the most appropriate, efficient and long-lasting commercial operation of its vessels.
All shipping enterprises have limited capabilities concerning the means, the resources and the management abilities for their ships. This means that it is impossible to exploit all the chances of the shipping market with equal effectiveness. The matching of the shipping enterprise capabilities with the needs and the desires of its clients is fundamental for the provision of the desired transport services, the satisfaction and retention of charterers and thus the commercial success of the enterprise. The shipping company must organize its resources in such a manner as to be able to apply the marketing process’ stages and to achieve a long-lasting and more effective commercial operation of its ships. The application of marketing presupposes correct diagnosis, planning, organization, implementation and control of marketing effort. This process is continuous and it is presented at figure .