The Bill of Lading (B/L) is the central document of ocean shipping. It does three jobs at once: it is the carrier’s receipt for your cargo, the evidence of the contract of carriage, and the title that represents the goods. Whoever controls the B/L controls the container.
How it works
The B/L is issued at shipment and names the shipper, the consignee, the goods, the vessel and the ports. At destination, the carrier releases the cargo against the original B/L or its electronic release (telex release), which is the usual practice today to save time. There is also the sea waybill, a non-negotiable variant for trusted relationships where nobody needs to hold the title.
Why it matters when importing from China
The B/L is the natural payment safeguard with new suppliers: the seller holds the document until the balance is paid, and you should not pay that balance without certainty about what actually shipped. This is where origin inspection and document control complement each other: paying against a B/L for cargo nobody verified is paying blind.
The common mistake
Not reviewing the draft before issuance. A misspelled consignee, a weight that doesn’t match or an ambiguous description is corrected for free at the draft stage, and costs time and money as an amendment with the vessel sailing, or worse, with the cargo held at destination because the document doesn’t match the customs entry.
In our sea freight service documents are reviewed before they are issued, not after they blow up. Write to us if you are about to ship.
