What is the difference between a bill of lading and a shipping document in international shipping?

What is the difference between a bill of lading and a shipping document in international shipping?

 

The ocean bill of lading and ocean bill of lading in international shipping are actually two different things, but what are the specific differences? Some cross-border sellers may not be very clear about this, so Kapoklog Logistics supply chain will give you a brief explanation here.

 

Let's first understand the name definitions of the two, in fact, the difference between the two can be seen from this alone. The ocean bill of lading, abbreviated as the bill of lading, is a written document issued by the shipowner or its agent to prove receipt of the goods, allowing them to be transported to the destination and delivered to the shipper. It is a contractual proof between the carrier and the shipper, and has the legal effect of a property certificate.

 

A sea waybill, also known as a "sea transport bill" or "sea freight bill", refers to a contract for the carriage of goods by sea. This is a non transferable document that the carrier certifies to the shipper or agent that the goods have been received or loaded onto the ship. This document is not a condition for receiving the goods at the destination port. The consignee can retrieve the goods based on the information that the goods have arrived or their identification.

 

The specific differences are as follows:

 

1. Different vouchers

 

The ocean bill of lading is a receipt for goods, proof of the transportation contract, and also a document of property rights. The ocean bill of lading only has two properties: a receipt for goods and a transportation contract, and it is not a document of property rights. Simply put, the bill of lading can prove the ownership of the goods, and the person holding the bill of lading is the owner of the goods, which has legal effect. The ocean bill of lading, on the other hand, is only a proof document, and even if one holds the ocean bill of lading, it cannot prove that the ownership of these goods belongs to oneself.

 

2. Different forms of circulation and transfer

 

The ocean bill of lading can be in the form of an indicated header and can be endorsed for circulation and transfer. The ocean bill of lading is a non liquid document that specifies a designated consignee and cannot be transferred for circulation.

 

 

 

3. Different forms

 

Both the ocean bill of lading and the ocean bill of lading can be made in the form of "loaded on board" or "ready for shipment". The format and preparation method of each column on the front of the ocean bill of lading are basically the same as those of the ocean bill of lading, except that the consignee column on the ocean bill of lading cannot be made as an indicative header and should be prepared as a specific consignee.

 

4. Different delivery methods

 

The legal holder and carrier of the ocean bill of lading can pick up and deliver the goods based on the bill of lading. The consignee on the ocean bill of lading does not need to rely on the ocean bill of lading to pick up the goods, as long as they present their receiving information or identification when picking up the goods.

 

5. Different divisions

 

There are two types of ocean bills of lading: full bill of lading and simplified bill of lading. Full bill of lading refers to a bill of lading that, in addition to the items recorded in the bill of lading format printed on the front, lists detailed terms and conditions regarding the rights and obligations between the carrier, consignor, and consignee on the back. Simplified bill of lading, also known as short bill of lading or abbreviated bill of lading, refers to a bill of lading that does not contain detailed terms and conditions regarding the rights and obligations between the carrier, consignor, and consignee on the back of the bill of lading. The ocean bill of lading is only a simplified document, without distinguishing between full and simplified forms, and does not list detailed shipping terms on the back.

 

Here we can also focus on explaining the named bill of lading in ocean bills and ocean bills of lading.

 

Both sea waybills and named bills of lading have consignees and are not transferable by endorsement. Although named bills of lading are a type of bill of lading classification, they do not possess the nature of property rights certificates. So, in some countries, such as the United States, it is not necessary to present a named bill of lading as long as the consignee's identity can be proved to be able to pick up the goods. Except for the different header, their nature is very similar, so the UK's 1992 Maritime Goods Transport Act has classified named bills of lading as sea bills of lading.

 

The difference between these two is that the ocean bill of lading does not go through the banking process, while the named bill of lading needs to go through the banking process.