Bill of Lading (B/L) is issued by the carrier or its agent, which proves that the consignor’s pending goods have been received, and the carrier promises to transport the goods to a specific destination and deliver them to the consignee. It is a receipt for goods issued by the carrier to the shipper, a proof of the transportation contract between the carrier and the shipper, and a certificate of ownership of the goods.
According to different classification standards, bills of lading can be divided into many categories.
① According to whether the goods have been loaded on board, they can be divided into:
On board B/L or Shipped B/L: refers to the bill of lading issued by the carrier after the goods have been loaded on the designated ship. Its characteristics are that the bill of lading must indicate in words that the goods have been loaded on a certain ship, and contain the date of loading, and should also be signed by the captain or his agent. In international trade, the seller is generally required to provide a shipped bill of lading.
Received for Shipment B/L: Also known as received for shipment B/L, it refers to the bill of lading issued by the carrier when the consigned goods have been received and are waiting for shipment.
② According to whether there are any negative comments on the appearance of the goods on the bill of lading, it can be divided into:
Clean B/L: It refers to the bill of lading on which the goods are “in good condition” when loaded on the ship, and the carrier does not carry any text or comments on the bill of lading that clearly declares that the goods and/or packaging are defective. According to the “Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits”, banks only accept clean bills of lading unless there are clear terms or comments in the letter of credit that are acceptable. Clean bills of lading are also a necessary condition for the transfer of bills of lading.
Unclean B/L or Foul B/L: It refers to the bill of lading on which the carrier carries text or comments on the bill of lading that clearly declares that the goods and/or packaging are defective. For example, the bill of lading may be annotated with “packages in damaged condition” or “iron strap loose or missing”.
③ According to the different headings of the consignee, it can be divided into:
Straight B/L: The consignee column on the bill of lading specifies the name of the specific consignee, and the goods can only be picked up by the specific consignee. Since the bill of lading cannot be transferred by endorsement and cannot be circulated, it is rarely used in international trade.
Bearer B/L: The consignee column on the bill of lading does not specify any consignee, and whoever holds the bill of lading can pick up the goods. This type of bill of lading does not require endorsement and transfer, has strong liquidity and high risks, so it is rarely used in international trade;
Order B/L: The consignee column on the bill of lading specifies “To order” or “To order of…”. This type of bill of lading can be transferred by endorsement, so it is the most widely used in international trade. Endorsement methods include “blank endorsement” and “name endorsement”. At present, the most commonly used bill of lading in actual business is the “by designation” and blank endorsed bill of lading, which is usually called “blank head, blank endorsement” bill of lading.
④ According to different modes of transportation, it can be divided into:
Direct bill of lading (Direct B/L): Where the contract and letter of credit stipulate that transshipment is not allowed, this direct bill of lading must be used;
Transshipment bill of lading (Transshipment B/L): The words “transshipment” or “transshipment at…port” must be indicated on this bill of lading;
Through bill of lading (Through B/L): refers to the bill of lading issued by the first carrier for the combined transportation of sea and other modes of transportation, including the entire transportation. Although it includes the entire transportation, the carrier who issues the through bill of lading generally stipulates in the bill of lading that it only bears the liability for cargo damage within the voyage he is responsible for.
⑤ According to the different modes of ship operation, it can be divided into:
Liner B/L: A bill of lading issued by a liner company or its agent for liner transport of goods.
Charter Party B/L: When a bank or buyer accepts this bill of lading, it usually requires the seller to provide a copy of the charter contract.
⑥ According to the complexity of the bill of lading, it can be divided into:
Long Form B/L: The back of the bill of lading lists the terms of the rights and obligations between the carrier and the shipper;
Short Form B/L: A bill of lading without terms on the back.
⑦ According to the effectiveness of its use, it can be divided into:
Original B/L: Signed and sealed by the captain or his agent. Only the original bill of lading can be used to pick up the goods.
Copy B/L: It is not signed or sealed by the captain or his agent and is only for reference at work.
⑧Other bills of lading often encountered in actual business:
Stale B/L: The date when the exporter submits the bill to the bank for payment is too far away from the date of shipment and sailing, so that it cannot be delivered to the consignee at the destination port before the ship arrives at the destination. Banks generally do not accept such bills of lading.
Advanced B/L: The bill of lading issued by the shipper with a letter of guarantee to request the carrier to borrow the bill of lading in advance because the goods cannot be loaded immediately due to the expiration of the payment period stipulated in the letter of credit, but the goods are already in the hands of the carrier or have already started to be loaded.
Ante-Dated B/L: The bill of lading issued by the carrier at the request of the shipper after the goods are loaded is earlier than the actual completion date of loading.
On Deck B/L: refers to a bill of lading that indicates “on deck” when the goods are loaded on the open deck of the ship.
Switch B/L: refers to another set of bills of lading issued in exchange for the original bill of lading. Under the conditions of direct transportation, at the request of the shipper, the carrier promises to replace the bill of lading issued at the port of departure with another set of bills of lading at a certain agreed intermediate port with the intermediate port as the port of departure.