Bill of lading

—Bill of Lading (B/L) refers to the transport document issued by a CAREER undertaking the CARRIAGE of goods from point A to point B to the MERCHANT .

Note:  a)Carriage means the whole or any part of the operations and services   undertaken by the Carrier in respect of the Goods..

           b)Carrier means the entity that arranges the carriage of the goods and   issues the Bill of Lading to the Merchant.

           c)Merchant means the entity who owns or has possession of the goods   carried by the carrier.. Merchant may be the Shipper, Exporter,   Consignee, Receiver of the Goods or any person owning or entitled to   the possession of the goods or the document of title to the goods (bill of   lading and/or anyone acting on behalf of any such person.

A Few Definitions

1.Consignee or Importer : Companies that are authorized by Customs and Govt. authorities to import cargoes into  India from various countries.

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2.Place of Origin : A place from which a certain cargo originates in order to be shipped to a certain destination as per the contract of carriage.. This place of origin could also be an inland destination.

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3.Port of Load : A seaport from which the cargo can be loaded on board a ship.

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4.Port of Discharge : A seaport at which the cargo is discharged from a ship.

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5.Place of Delivery : A place to which the cargo is to be delivered as per the contract of carriage.. This place of delivery could also be an inland destination.

—6.Carrier Haulage : Movement of the container from Point A to Point B under the control of the shipping line using a haulage contractor nominated by the shipping line.. In this case the consignee will pay for the same at the lines rate.

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7.Merchant Haulage : Movement of the container from Point A to Point B directly by the consignee using his nominated haulage contractor.. In this case the consignee has the choice to negotiate his own rates for the same.

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8.Redirection : This comes into play when the client would like to redirect a box from its original destination to another or change a mode of carriage from one to another.

Roles/Functions of Bill Of Lading 

Role/Function 1 :Evidence of Contract of Carriage

—The B/L is the EVIDENCE of the contract of carriage entered into between the Carrier and the Shipper or Cargo Owner in order to carry out the transportation of the cargo as per the sales contract between the buyer and the seller.

Note: a)The contract between a buyer and seller(Sales Contract) was already   established when the buyer placed the order with the seller and they   both discussed and agreed (verbally or in writing) the What, Where,   When, How and How much of the transaction in detail.

           b)  The contract between a shipper and the carrier(Contract Of Carriage)   was already established when the shipper or his agent made a booking   with the carrier (shipping line) to carry the cargo from A to B.

Role/Function 2 : Receipt of Goods

— A B/L is issued by the carrier (or their agent) to the shipper (or their agent) in exchange for the receipt of the cargo. The issuance of the B/L is proof that the carrier has received the goods from the shipper or their agent in apparent good order and condition, as handed over by the shipper.

Role/Function 3 : Document of  Title to the Goods

—It means that the goods may be transferred to the holder of the B/L which then gives the holder of the B/L, the rights to claim the goods or further transfer it to someone else.

Note:  If the B/L is issued as a Straight B/L or a Non-Negotiable B/L ,   then it would be issued with one or many original B/L with an original   signature.