What is a Bill of Lading?

What does Bill of Lading mean?
The Bill of Lading (B/L) or bill of lading is an official shipping document which basically indicates the owner of a sea cargo. The Bill of Lading states what the cargo consists of, from and to which port it is being shipped, and who the consignor and consignee are. These transportation arrangements are also known as bills of lading. The person in possession of the B/L can dispose of the cargo.

A B/L can be referred to as "transferable," meaning that ownership of the goods can be transferred from one party to another until delivery. In addition to the original Bill of Lading, Waybills are also used. Here only a copy of the Bill of Lading is sufficient to receive the cargo. Through B/L tracking, the status of a sea freight shipment can be traced.

Furthermore, there are the House B/L this is provided by a forwarder to the shipper. And there is the Master B/L (MBL) which is provided by the shipping company to the forwarder.

Rotra has its own ocean freight offices in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Rotra Air & Ocean has its own partner network with local specialists worldwide and maintains its own LCL liner services to and from various ports in the Middle and Far East.

Bill of Lading example

Bill of Lading Incoterms
Incoterms are the agreements made on delivery terms between seller and buyer (who pays and insures the transport) > Incoterms

Incoterms describe the duties, costs and risks involved in the delivery of goods by sellers to buyers. The Incoterm thus also determines who has access to the Bill of Lading at what time. As of 2020, new Incoterms have been defined that have led to some changes. For example, it used to be that with the Incoterm Free Carrier (FCA), the bill of lading was handed to the buyer at all times. However, the new version of the Incoterm FCA allows the bill of lading to be issued to the seller instead of the buyer.

With our specialists at Rotra sea freight branches, we handle all sea freight shipments worldwide and handle all customs formalities quickly and simply for you. For all your inquiries, rates or bookings: contact us.