In international trade, we will encounter buyers asking the exporter to provide a bill of lading or a bill of lading on behalf of a loan. What is the difference between the two?

Ocean bill of lading (MARINE/OCEAN B/L)

Has three functions:

One is a cargo receipt issued to the shipper by the carrier or its agent after receiving the cargo.

The second is to support the proof of the establishment of the transportation contract between the two parties.

The third is the proof of property title for the consignee to pick up the goods at the place where the goods arrive.

Corresponding to the ocean bill of lading is the charter bill of lading (CHARTER PARTY B/L) and the multimodal transport document (MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT DOCUMENT)

Freight forwarding bill of lading (HOUSE B/L), and it corresponds to the shipowner's bill of lading (MASTER B/L)

There is not much difference between these two bills of lading, except that the qualifications of the issuers are different. H B/L will charge more bills of lading at the port of destination (sometimes there is more than one bill of lading fee)

If there is no special requirement in the L/C, the two have the same effect, both are valuable documents, and both can be endorsed and transferred.

The difference between the two bills of lading:

1. The bill of lading is the bill of lading issued by the shipping company. As long as there is a sea bill of lading, anyone can pick up the goods directly from the shipping company at the port of destination. The loan bill of lading is a bill of lading issued by the freight forwarder based on the ocean bill of lading, which needs to be exchanged for the ocean bill of lading at the designated agent or branch at the port of destination.

2. If you want to pay the freight in advance and pick up the goods quickly, you can ship the order by sea, and you can save more than ten dollars in exchange fees. If you want to control the rights of goods, freight on delivery, etc., you need to loan the bill of lading, and the freight forwarder can help you do this, of course, not for free.

3. If your cargo is not a full container, but scattered cargo, you must only lend the bill of lading, because the shipping company will not help you consolidate the cargo, nor will it help you divide the cargo at the destination port.

4. If you are doing L/C, but you can’t produce it within the specified delivery date and can’t get on the ship, then you can choose to lend the bill of lading on behalf of you, and ask the freight forwarder to back-end the bill of lading for you. Of course, this is also an informal practice, so you are generally required to issue a letter of guarantee.

5. The bill of lading is the most basic document of title, and you cannot control many terms in it.

6. The general freight bill number does not enter the customs manifest management system, which is different from the bill of lading number on the import declaration form;

7. The bill of lading of the freight forwarder has the name and contact method of the exchange company, and the contact company is not a port shipping agency company such as Waidai or Sinotrans.

8. The freight forwarding bill of lading generally displays the words "asagentofcarrier" on the page, while the ocean bill of lading displays ascarrier

Note: If the payment is not prepaid, you have to be particularly careful whether it is a bill of lading or a bill of lading. Generally, a bill of lading is required, otherwise the goods may be in danger of being taken away by the freight forwarder