In foreign trade, the bill of lading is a document issued to the consignor by the transportation department when carrying the goods. The consignee picks up the goods with the bill of lading to the transportation department at the destination of the freight. The bill of lading must be signed by the carrier or the ship to take effect. It is one of the valid documents for the declaration of goods by sea to the customs.
1. Different types of bills of lading based on negotiable and non-negotiable documents
The main difference between the two types is that the title (ownership) of one can be transferred to another party, while the other is consigned to a named party, so he/she must be the ultimate receiver of the goods, as this type of title bill of lading cannot. transfer.
Readers should not confuse negotiable and non-negotiable bills of lading with "negotiable" and "non-negotiable" copies of a signed bill of lading.
① Direct bill of lading
A direct bill of lading is designated to a specific party, and the designated party cannot reassign it to anyone else. One party only needs to pick up the goods and cannot sell the goods by transferring the bill of lading to the other party's name.
② Order bill of lading
This is the bill of lading that most people encounter on board. The bill of lading is for the consignee, or for him. That is, the named consignee will be the owner of the goods or he can order the delivery of the goods to the other party by means of a bill of lading endorsed to the other party.
An order bill of lading is a negotiable document as the title (ownership) of the bill of lading is transferable.
③Bearer bill of lading
A bearer bill of lading is a bill of lading that states that the goods should be delivered to anyone who holds the bill of lading. These documents are issued exclusively or are purchase orders that do not specify the consignee by original or blank endorsement. Bearer notes can be negotiated by physical delivery.
2. According to whether the goods have been shipped
①Shipped B/L, or On Board B/L
Refers to the bill of lading issued to the shipper by the carrier or its authorized agent on the basis of the chief mate's receipt after the goods are loaded on board. If the carrier issues an on-board bill of lading, it confirms that he has the goods on board.
②Received for Shipment B/L
It is a bill of lading issued by the carrier at the request of the shipper when it has received the goods from the shipper but has not yet been loaded on board.
3. According to whether there are comments on the order or not
①Clean B/L
Refers to the bill of lading that the goods are in good condition when loaded on the ship, and the carrier has not added any damage to the goods, poor packaging or other obstacles to the settlement of foreign exchange.
②Unclean B/L or Foul B/L
Unclean B/L or foul B/L refers to the bill of lading marked on the bill of lading by the carrier that the goods and packaging are in poor condition or defective, such as wet, oily, stained, rusted, etc.
4. According to the different modes of transportation
①Direct B/L
Refers to the bill of lading issued after the goods are loaded from the port of loading and sailed directly to the port of unloading without changing ships in the middle.
②Transhipment B/L
It refers to the full bill of lading issued by the carrier at the port of shipment for the goods to be transshipped to reach the port of destination.
③Multimodal transport document/multimodal transport document
A multimodal transport document or combined transport document is an intermodal bill of lading involving at least two different modes of transport, land or sea. However, the mode of transportation can be anything from cargo ships to air.
5. Special Bill of Lading
①Container Bill of Lading
A container bill of lading is a document that provides information about the shipment of goods in secure containers or containers from one port to another.
②Combined B/L
Refers to two or more batches of liquid bulk cargo of the same variety, quality, port of loading and unloading, but belonging to different consignees and packed in the same liquid cargo tank, and are respectively the consignee of each batch of goods Issuing a bill of lading with the seal of 'Consolidation Clause' stamped on it.
③Parcel Receipt B/L
Refers to the bill of lading issued for goods consigned in the form of parcels. This is a bill of lading set by the carrier according to the special needs of the trade, and the weight must not exceed 45kg.
