subject: BASICS OF A BILL OF LADING FORM [print this page] If you are in the shipping business, it is very important to be aware of the basics of a bill of lading form; that is, what it should contain in the minimum to actually serve its desired purpose. In very simple terms, it is a form of acknowledgment or receipt that acts as a proof of having received and transferred certain type of goods for shipping to a particular destination. This document and its correctness are very important as shippers can be arrested in some countries, if the details contained in a bill of lading are different from the actual contents of the vessel.
To avoid any negative legal implications, every shipper has to ensure that the bill of lading accompanying their shipments consist of these basics:
- Proper documentation of the nature of goods placed on the vessel, quantity and technical specifications.
- Country of origin and destination of goods including details of the consignor and consignee. These details should be registered addresses and phone numbers at least.
- It should incorporate an agreement between the carrier and trader and lay down basic terms and conditions, which will consider grave and uncertain conditions such as a storm or an Earthquake
- This certificate should include the signatures of both the parties to agree to the terms and conditions.
The importance of a bill of lading form also varies across geographical locations. In some countries, it can be viewed as a criminal offence if the document is unavailable or wrongly filled, while in other climes, it is merely used as a means of goods transfer and acceptance of liability. Also, there are several types of bill of lading. The explicit variant mentioning and restricting the consignor to the transfer of particular type of goods is known as Straight Bill of lading. A negotiable or flexible document is known as order bill of lading, while there is a Bearer & Surrender bill of lading.
Finally, this documentation must be acceptable to the sending and receiving, state, region or country between which goods exchange occur.
