Bill of Landing

The Bill of Lading is a transport document in shipping, and the parties involved are:

• The Shipper” Providing the goods for transport and responsible for packing and preparing the shipment.
• The Carrier” Responsible for transporting the cargo.
• The Consignee” Designated to receive the shipment.

A Bill of Lading is a legal document issued by the Carrier to the Shipper in respect of the carriage of goods, showing the type of goods being transported, their origin and destination, and the information of the Shipper, Carrier, and Consignee.

The Bill of Lading serves three main purposes:

• Evidence of the terms of a contract of carriage
• Receipt of goods
• Document of legal title to the goods

The Bill of Lading provides information on the shipment, including the type and quantity of goods, parties involved, and terms of the shipment.

After a booking is made with a Carrier, the Shipper submits shipping instructions, which the Carrier uses to generate the Bill of Lading. The document will typically include:

• Shipper, consignee, and/or notify party
• Cargo description
• Cargo weight, number of packages, and volume
• Payment terms
• Port of loading
• Port of discharge
• Type of bill

The Bill of Lading is issued once all the cargo has been loaded at the port of loading.

It serves as the legal title document, allowing the lawful holder to claim ownership of the cargo. It also serves as evidence of the terms of the contract of carriage, detailing the parties’ rights and responsibilities before and during the shipment.

It serves as the legal title document, allowing the lawful holder to claim ownership of the cargo. It also serves as evidence of the terms of the contract of carriage, detailing the parties’ rights and responsibilities before and during the shipment.

The primary document for sea transport and evidence of the terms of the contract of carriage, receipt for the goods, and legal title to the goods.

To receive the cargo, the lawful holder (i.e., consignee or endorsee) must present the original Bill of Lading. There are typically three original Bills of Lading issued, and the lawful holder needs to surrender 1/3 duly endorsed Bill of Lading to the Carrier’s POD agent for cargo release.

It is customary practice for the Shipper to keep 1/3 Bill of Lading for their records and to submit the remaining 1/3 Original Bill of Lading to customs for cargo clearance (if required).

This is a specific type of Bill of Lading used in sea transport when the Shipper decides to transfer ownership of the cargo to the Consignee immediately.

This means that the cargo can be picked up by the party identified in the Seaway Bill without presenting a document of ownership.

A Seaway Bill is evidence of the terms of a contract of carriage and a receipt for the goods, but it does not give title to the goods. It is not negotiable and cannot be assigned to a third party.

The Carrier will deliver the cargo at destination to the person or company described as Consignee in the Seaway Bill.

A Seaway Bill serves two purposes:

• Receipt for the goods
• Evidence of the terms of the contract of carriage

A telex release, or electronic cargo release, is not a type of Bill of Lading but a process for releasing cargo electronically.

This is only applicable when an Original Bill of Lading has been issued. The telex release sends a message authorizing the Carrier to release the cargo to a specified party at the destination without requiring the original Bill of Lading.

The main difference between an Original Bill of Lading and a Seaway Bill of Lading is that:

• The Original Bill of Lading serves as a document of title to the goods
• The Seaway Bill of Lading does not