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Bill of lading: purpose, filling procedure, types, types and practical application of the document. What is a bill of lading and how to issue it correctly? Who draws up the bill of lading

A bill of lading is a document issued by the carrier to the owner of the cargo. Its key feature is that the realization of rights under it is possible only with the physical provision of the original. A copy, electronic and other forms of the document do not have legal force. Consider further the types and functions of the bill of lading.

General information

A bill of lading is a security that expresses the ownership of a certain product specified in it. It is considered analogous to a bill of lading. It contains the terms of the contract for sea transportation. A bill of lading is a document that allows the holder to dispose of the goods. It is issued after the recipient accepts the transported items. This document in practice certifies the fact of the conclusion of the agreement. The procedure in accordance with which the issuance of a bill of lading is carried out is established by the Merchant Shipping Code. The document is issued for any cargo, regardless of the method of transportation. Material values can be delivered with the provision of the entire vessel, certain of its premises, or without this condition at all. Having a customs bill of lading, the carrier carries out transportation according to the Hague rules. They are present in the International Convention of August 25, 1924. The legislation of states may establish other rules for transportation.

Tasks

Based on the properties described above, we can say that a bill of lading is a document used as:

Receipts of the carrier in receipt of the goods for transportation with a simultaneous description of its visually assessed condition.
Bill of lading.
Confirmation of the contract for transportation.
Document of title to goods.

The bill of lading can also act as collateral for a loan against shipped items.

Specificity

During the transportation of goods, as well as during the period of its storage, it is temporarily alienated from the owner. This fact suggests the existence of a loan relationship. However, it is not expressed in the form of lending. In this regard, a bill of lading is a document that has properties similar to those of a warehouse receipt.

signs

A bill of lading is a security:

Debt.
Non-emission.
Documentary.
Incomeless.
Urgent. The period of its existence will depend on the duration of the transportation.
Nominal, order or bearer. It depends on the type of warehouse receipt.
Nominated. The face value is not the amount of money, but the actual amount of the cargo being transported.

to the document in question without fail an insurance policy for the transported goods must be attached. In addition, the transfer of the bill of lading may be accompanied by the preparation (issuance) of additional certificates. They may relate directly to the transportation of goods, their storage, and security. These documents may be required when passing customs control. The list of necessary certificates for moving cargo across the border is established by interstate agreements and the laws of specific countries.

Required details

No changes are allowed in the document. Bills of lading blanks must contain a number of required details. Among them, of particular importance are:

String Shipper. It indicates the name of the consignor of the cargo and its location.
Port of Discharge string. In this column enter the port of unloading in accordance with the contract for sea transportation.
Consignee string. It indicates the name of the consignee and his location.
Description of Packages And Goods string. In this column, the characteristics of the cargo are entered, which are necessary for its identification (this is the mass, number of pieces, etc.). In addition, there may be indications of its danger or specific properties. If the goods are sent in several containers under one bill of lading, you must enter the quantity and weight in each of them.

This information is provided by the shipper. The carrier (agent of the sea, feeder, ocean line) also enters certain data. In particular, he states in the bill of lading:

Own name.
In the Number of Original column - the number of originals of the bill of lading.
Place and date of issue of the document.

Main types

Initially, the bill of lading was used for the carriage of goods exclusively by sea. Currently, it is also used when moving goods in other ways. In this case, the document is called end-to-end. There are also the following types of bill of lading:

Linear. It contains the will of the sender to conclude a contract for the carriage of goods.
Charter. This document is issued to confirm the acceptance of goods that are transported under a charter agreement. It is an agreement to hire a ship to perform a specific flight or for a certain period. Such a bill of lading does not act as a basis for drawing up a contract for sea transportation. In such cases, separate agreements for freight in the form of a charter are concluded.

Both of these bills of lading define the relationship between the carrier of the goods and the third party - the holder of the document. It acts as a receipt issued by the transporter to the sender in confirmation that the objects have been accepted for delivery, and together with this document of title. At the same time, the terms of sale and other operations in relation to the cargo are carried out using a bill of lading without the actual transfer of the goods themselves.

Received for shipment (document for placement on board)

The bill of lading for placement on board the ship confirms the acceptance of the goods - delivery under the protection of the ship. After loading, the shipowner provides a document certifying that the objects are ready for transportation. It is called an onboard bill of lading. The shipowner can also link the document to the name of the ship, the date at the port of shipment, indicating that the goods were accepted by him. Such paper must have the same properties as the onboard bill of lading.

Clean bill of lading ("clean" document)

A clean bill of lading does not contain any additional notes or clauses that directly state the defectiveness of the goods or their containers. As a rule, in such a document it is indicated that the objects are externally in good condition. In the international banking system, in case of a letter of credit settlement on general rule bills of lading must be clean, unless otherwise specified in the terms of the documentary credit.

Claused

In some cases, a bill of lading is issued with a reservation. In such a document, the captain of the ship notes the circumstances relating to visible defects in the container or cargo. In other words, he points to facts of non-compliance with the loading order. Such a document is accepted by the bank in the event that the terms of payment contain an accurate description of the notes or reservations that are acceptable.

Through bill of lading

A through bill of lading is provided if sea transportation is only a certain part of the total route or is carried out by two or more lines. In such situations, it is more convenient for the sender to draw up one document than to conclude separate contract with each carrier. The sender who issues the bill of lading interacts only with the carrier who signs it. The transporter organizes reloading with subsequent delivery. For this, he charges a freight (additional fee).

Custody B/L (Coastal act)

The document that is issued to confirm the acceptance of objects on shore (usually at the carrier's warehouse) is called a shore bill of lading. When placing the cargo in respect of which it was issued, a corresponding note is made in it that the goods have been accepted, the date is indicated and other significant records are made. In some cases, the shore bill of lading is replaced by the onboard bill of lading.

home bill of lading

This document is compiled to prevent various problems associated with the transportation of goods. It is also used if:

It is necessary to hide the route and the real client.
The sender or agent provides Additional services which are not provided for in the field of maritime transport.
The freight was purchased from a carrier that does not have its own vessels, but is a member of the NVOCC, and this company needs to hide even the movements and the actual client on a particular cargo.
The document is required before the goods are loaded on board. For example, this situation occurs if the sender uses a credit scheme in his work.

Important point

As mentioned above, certain details must be present in the bill of lading. In their absence, the document will not be considered a title to goods. In this case, the bill of lading ceases to act as a security. The document is issued in several copies. One of them is given to the sender. When issuing a cargo for one of the copies, all the rest lose their legal force.

Recipient Status

Depending on how this subject is defined, a bill of lading can be:

Order.
Nominal.
To the bearer.

The first is issued when a particular person has the right to dispose of who exactly to issue the goods. This possibility is reinforced by the words to order ("by order") in the line Consignee. If this person is not specified, then the bill of lading will be considered "on the order of the sender". The nominal document contains information about the recipient in the Consignee column. The line indicates the name of a particular subject. The bearer bill of lading does not contain any specific data regarding the person entitled to receive the goods. In this regard, at the port of destination, the objects must be issued to any subject that presented the document. A bearer bill of lading is rarely used, since any of its holders acts as the legal recipient.

Additionally

The bill of lading services the turnover during transportation. Therefore, it can be transferred by interested participants in relations without any restrictions. On this basis, all bills of lading are considered negotiable. The difference between them lies in the way in which it is provided by one person to another. When drawing up a document, its price is determined, among other things. It is established in accordance with the value of the cargo to be transported and the volume of expenses for its transportation.

This is a non-issue security issued by the carrier of sea cargo or his authorized representative to the owner of the cargo or his representative. A bill of lading is a transport document containing "! conditions of a contract of carriage by sea, certifying the fact of acceptance of cargo for shipment, giving the right of disposal and ownership of the holder of the bill of lading to the cargo, the right of the holder of the bill of lading to own and dispose of it.

A bill of lading is issued for any cargo, regardless of how the transportation is carried out: with the provision of the entire ship, separate ship premises, without such a condition.
The legal acts governing the issuance and content of a bill of lading are: the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Concerning Bills of Lading of 1921 (The Hague Rules); Brussels Protocol 1968 Revising the Hague Bills of Lading Rules 1921 (The Hague-Visby Rules); UN Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea, 1978 (Hamburg Rules); Merchant Shipping Code of the Russian Federation dated March 31, 1999

The bill of lading is drawn up on the basis of a loading order signed by the consignor of the cargo, who sends the export order to the port with the necessary details. The bill of lading shall indicate the language in which the text of the bill of lading is printed, bilingual execution of the bill of lading is possible. Usually a bill of lading is a printed form. A bill of lading is a document of the standard form adopted in international practice, for shipping.

Bills of lading are drawn up in triplicate with the same content and date: one for the consignor, the second for the consignee, and the third for the carrier. All copies of the bill of lading are originals, as evidenced by the stamp "original" on them. In some cases, the serial number of the original is indicated - first, second, third. The bill of lading indicates the number of originals drawn up, however, only one of them can be a document of title. If goods are issued for one of them, then the rest become invalid. Copies of the bill of lading are printed on paper different from the original, or have a “copy” stamp.

The consignee is determined in the bill of lading in three ways. Depending on this, there are bills of lading registered, order, bearer:

Named bill of lading- a bill of lading drawn up in the name of a specific consignee. According to a registered bill of lading, the cargo is transferred at the port of destination to the recipient indicated in the bill of lading. The goods may be handed over to another person only on the basis of a transaction executed in compliance with the rules established for the transfer of a debt claim.

Order bill of lading- a bill of lading, but to which the goods are transferred either by order of the consignor, or by order of the consignee, or by order of the bank, or by the endorsement of the one by whose order it is drawn up. If the order bill of lading does not indicate that it was drawn up by order of the recipient, then it is considered that it was drawn up by order of the sender.

Bearer bill of lading- a bill of lading that is transferred in exchange for cargo by simple delivery.

Order and bearer bills of lading are negotiable. This gives the holder the right to dispose of the goods while they are in transit, or to pledge the bill of lading to the bank before the goods arrive. The bill of lading becomes negotiable if it was issued in such a way. A negotiable bill of lading (subject to indexation) is used in trade in commodities such as cereals or oil, where bills of lading for goods in transit are bought and sold through a string of stipulated contracts where no intermediaries take over the goods and only the last buyer physically receives the goods from the ship upon arrival . Non-negotiable bills of lading it is assumed that the recipient himself will accept the goods upon the arrival of the vessel.

The bill of lading contains mandatory information about the cargo. Depending on the clauses about the carrier's claims to the quantity and quality of the goods accepted for transportation or its packaging, bills of lading with reservations and clean bills of lading are distinguished. Bill of lading with reservations- a bill of lading, in which marks are made of damage to the cargo or packaging. Clean bill of lading- a bill of lading that does not contain any reservations or notes stating the defective condition of the cargo or its packaging.

Depending on where the cargo is located, bills of lading are onshore and onboard. Onboard bill of lading- a bill of lading certifying that the goods accepted for transportation are loaded onto the ship. Coastal bill of lading- a bill of lading for cargo accepted for loading at the port in anticipation of a ship that has not yet arrived.

Depending on the characteristics of transportation, a liner and a charter bill of lading are distinguished. Linear (travel) bill of lading- a bill of lading issued by or on behalf of a shipping company and covering carriage on ships plying on regular routes in accordance with an established and published timetable, for which there is a reserved berth in the port of destination. Charter (freight) bill of lading- bill of lading, which is used in tramp (irregular) transportation.

Direct bill of lading- a bill of lading covering the carriage of goods between the immediate ports of loading and unloading on the same vessel. If sea transportation is only part of the total transportation and the goods must be transported also by other land and sea carriers, then it is more convenient for the sender to use a through bill of lading than to conclude contracts with several carriers.

through bill of lading- a bill of lading providing for the transshipment of cargo to another vessel in waypoint and covering the entire shipment from the port of loading to the final destination. Such transportation is possible if the carrier has several regular lines in different directions or by agreement between two carriers - the one receiving the cargo in the port from the board and delivering it further from the port of transshipment. Usually, carriers jointly transporting cargo under a through bill of lading stipulate their mutual obligations - each carrier is responsible only for the section of the route on which he makes the transportation. With a through bill of lading, it is important to have clear marks on the transfer of goods from one carrier to another.

Depending on whether the bill of lading includes an insurance policy, an insured bill of lading is distinguished. Insured Bill of Lading is a combination of a transport document with an insurance policy and serves as proof of both the acceptance of cargo for transportation and its insurance. It is usually used in the transport of goods in containers.
There are also the following types of bills of lading.

Shared bill of lading- an order to transfer a certain part of the transported cargo at the port of destination to another person. It is used in the case of a partial sale by the consignee of the goods before he has taken delivery.

Consolidated bill of lading- a bill of lading for several cargoes intended for different consignees.

A negotiable bill of lading is a bill of lading that can be transferred from one owner to another. A negotiable bill of lading is a document of title (security) drawn up to the bearer or to the order of the person indicated in it. Cargo under such a bill of lading is transferred by order of the consignor, consignee, bank or by the endorsement of the person whose order it is drawn up.

By default, if the negotiable bill of lading does not indicate that it was drawn up to the order of the recipient, it is considered that the bill of lading is drawn up to the order of the sender. In this case, the order is understood as the person to whom the goods are transferred. The forwarding company (forwarder) often acts as such a person if the recipient cannot work in the port.

Negotiable and non-negotiable bills of lading differ in the presence in the first one of the inscription “to the order of the name”, i.e. the shipper renders the document negotiable by expressly indicating it. What is a negotiable bill of lading from the point of view of the cargo owner and the bank? This is a document that allows you to dispose of the cargo while it is in transit. A negotiable bill of lading is a document that can serve as a means of securing a bank before the arrival of the goods.

Negotiable bills of lading are widely used in sales transactions, when the goods can be resold several times in transit without actually being transferred to the recipient. Only the last buyer will actually receive the cargo at the port of arrival. A similar scheme is widespread in the trade of grain, oil, ore and some other goods.

The negotiable bill of lading contains the following details:

full name and location of the carrier;
the port (place) of loading and the date of loading the cargo onto the vessel (to be filled in from the contract of carriage by sea);
name and location (address) of the consignor;
name of the port of destination (from the contract of carriage by sea);
information about the recipient - name, location (if the sender wishes and can enter these data);
the name of the cargo, as well as the information necessary for its identification;
notes that the cargo is classified as dangerous or has specific properties;
cargo weight and number of packages;
description of the visible state of the packaging of the cargo, the goods themselves;
information about the financial obligations of the recipient, for example, the amount of freight;
place and time of issue of the bill of lading;
information on the number of issued originals of the document, if there are more than one originals.

All information about the cargo is entered into the bill of lading in the form in which it is presented by the sender. The document is certified by the signature of the carrier or a person acting on his behalf. The signature of the carrier is understood as the signature of the captain of the vessel. The parties may provide additional information.

Non-negotiable or negotiable bill of lading?

Negotiable include bearer bills of lading and warrant bills of lading, non-negotiable (non negotiable bill of lading) - nominal. A nominal (non-negotiable) bill of lading contains the name of the recipient of the cargo and does not contain an indication of the possibility of transferring the cargo on his order.

Currently, they are rarely used in the practice of maritime transport, already due to the fact that not every consignee (and this is especially true for small companies and individual entrepreneurs) can work in the port, accepting cargo from the shipowner and carrying out its intra-port forwarding. There will be problems with the organization of the delivery of groupage cargo. As a rule, such tasks are more effectively solved by the forwarder.

Negotiable multimodal transport bill of lading

A negotiable multimodal transport bill of lading is a forwarding document of the International Association of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA). The name in English is Negotiable FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading, abbreviated as FBL. Used for direct and mixed transport. It is a transport document of a freight forwarder acting as a mixed (multimodal) transport operator or a contractual carrier. Learn more about this document -.

A bill of lading is a document issued by a carrier to a consignor to certify the acceptance of cargo for carriage by sea with the obligation to deliver the cargo to the port of destination and issue it to the lawful holder of the bill of lading. The bill of lading is one of the main documents used in customs clearance And customs control goods transported by sea. The bill of lading certifies the ownership of the shipped goods.

Bill of lading - (French connaissement), a document containing the terms of the contract of carriage by sea. Most common in foreign trade. Issued by the carrier to the sender after acceptance of the cargo for transportation, it serves as proof of acceptance of the cargo and certifies the fact of the conclusion of the contract. is a document of title that gives its holder the right to dispose of the goods. The bill of lading can be: nominal, they indicate a specific recipient, their transfer is carried out with the help of an endorsement - endorsement or in another form in compliance with the rules established for the transfer of a debt claim: order (issued by the "order" of the sender or recipient), they are also transferred by means of an endorsement; to the bearer (transferred by actual delivery to the new holder of the card).

In the Russian Federation, the procedure for drawing up a bill of lading and its necessary details established by the Merchant Shipping Code of the Russian Federation.

The bill of lading - bill of lading - performs three main functions:

Is an official receipt from the shipowner (carrier) certifying that the goods, believed to be in the specified form, quantity and condition, have been shipped to the specified destination on a specific vessel, or at least received under the shipowner's custody for the purpose of shipment.
It certifies the conclusion of the contract of carriage by sea, which is actually concluded before the signing of the bill of lading, and repeats in detail its content.
It is a title document for goods, allowing the buyer to dispose of them by means of an endorsement and the provision of a bill of lading. Thus, the bill of lading provides title to the goods.

According to Art. 144 Merchant Shipping Code of the Russian Federation (KTM RF) of 30.04.1999 N 81-FZ in bill of lading are indicated:

The name of the carrier and its location;
The name of the port of loading according to the contract for the carriage of goods by sea and the date of acceptance of the goods by the carrier at the port of loading;
The name of the sender and his location;
The name of the port of unloading according to the contract for the carriage of goods by sea;
The name of the recipient, if indicated by the sender;
The name of the cargo, the main marks necessary for the identification of the cargo, an indication, where appropriate, of the dangerous nature or special properties of the cargo, the number of packages or objects and the mass of the cargo or its quantity otherwise indicated. In this case, all data are indicated as they are presented by the sender;
The external condition of the cargo and its packaging;
Freight in the amount payable by the recipient, or other indication that the freight is to be paid by him;
Time and place of issue of the bill of lading;
The number of original bills of lading, if there is more than one;
Signature of the carrier or a person acting on his behalf.

By agreement of the parties, other data and clauses may be included in the bill of lading. A bill of lading signed by the master of the ship is considered to be signed on behalf of the carrier.

After the cargo is loaded on board the ship, the carrier, at the request of the sender, issues an onboard bill of lading, which, in addition to the data, must indicate that the cargo is on board a certain ship or ships, and the date of loading of the cargo or the date of loading cargo.

If the carrier, prior to loading the cargo on board the ship, issued to the consignor a bill of lading for the cargo accepted for carriage or another document of title related to this cargo, the consignor must, at the request of the carrier, return such a document in exchange for an onboard bill of lading.

The carrier may satisfy the shipper's requirements for an onboard bill of lading by supplementing any previously issued document, provided that the document so supplemented includes all the data that should be contained in an onboard bill of lading.

If the bill of lading contains data relating to the name of the cargo, its main brands, the number of packages or items, the mass or quantity of the cargo and in respect of which the carrier or another person issuing the bill of lading on his behalf knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that such data does not correspond to the goods actually accepted or loaded when the onboard bill of lading was issued, or the carrier or other such person did not have a reasonable opportunity to verify the data specified, the carrier or other such person must insert a clause in the bill of lading specifically indicating inaccuracies, grounds for speculation or lack of reasonable ability verification of the specified data.

If the carrier or another person issuing the bill of lading on his behalf does not indicate in the bill of lading external state cargo, it is considered that the bill of lading indicates the good external condition of the cargo.

Except for data subject to a reservation permitted under paragraph 1 of this article, the bill of lading certifies, unless proven otherwise, that the carrier has accepted the goods for carriage as described in the bill of lading. Proving otherwise by the carrier is not allowed if the bill of lading has been transferred to a third party who, based on the description of the goods contained in the bill of lading, acted in good faith.

A bill of lading can be issued in the name of a specific recipient (registered bill of lading), to the order of the sender or recipient (order bill of lading), or to the bearer. An order bill of lading that does not contain an indication of its issuance to the order of the sender or recipient is considered issued to the order of the sender.

At the request of the sender, several copies (originals) of the bill of lading may be issued to him, and in each of them the number of originals of the bill of lading is indicated. After the delivery of the cargo on the basis of the first of the submitted originals of the bill of lading, the rest of its originals become invalid.

The bill of lading is transferred subject to the following rules:

a nominal bill of lading may be transferred by nominal endorsement or in another form in accordance with the rules established for the assignment of a claim;
an order bill of lading can be transferred by nominal or blank endorsements;
a bearer bill of lading may be transferred by simple delivery.

The sender has the right to dispose of the cargo until it is issued to the recipient or such right is transferred to the recipient or a third party. When transferring the right to dispose of the cargo to the recipient or a third party, the sender is obliged to notify the carrier of this.

The consignor has the right to demand the return release of the cargo at the place of departure before the ship's departure, the release of the cargo at an intermediate port, or the release of the cargo to a different recipient, which is indicated in the shipping document, subject to the presentation of all original bills of lading issued to the sender or provision of appropriate security and in compliance with the rules established by articles 155 and 156 of the CTM RF.

The following types of bills of lading apply:

Onboard bill of lading (shipped). When the shipowner issues an onboard bill of lading, he acknowledges that the cargo has been loaded on board the ship.
Bill of lading for loading on board the vessel (received for shipment).
Clean bill of lading
Bill of lading with a clause (claused)
Negotiable bill of lading (negotiable). Bill of lading
Named bill of lading
Bearer bill of lading
Linear shipping bill of lading
Charter (freight) bill of lading
Through bill of lading (through bill of lading)

Typically, a bill of lading is a printed form in which the above information is entered on a typewriter or printer. On the back of the bill of lading are the terms of the contract of carriage by sea. Large shipping companies have their own letterheads.

Since the bill of lading is a document of title to the goods, and the possession of it, according to commercial custom, is in many respects equivalent to the possession of the goods, the delivery of the bill of lading usually entails the same consequences as the delivery of the goods themselves.

As a rule, three or more copies of the bill of lading are made with the same content and date: for the consignor or his forwarder, for the consignee and for the cargo owner. All copies of the bill of lading constituting the so-called full set, are originals and are stamped "Original". In some cases, the serial number of the original is indicated. The document of title is usually only one (first) of the originals of the bill of lading. Copies of the bill of lading are stamped "Copy" or printed on blanks of a different color from the original.

If goods are issued on one of the copies of the bill of lading, the rest lose their force.

Only the person holding the bill of lading has the right to claim the transfer of goods to him by the carrier. The carrier will not be liable for misdelivery of the goods if he delivers the goods to the holder of the first original bill of lading presented to him (provided that the carrier is not aware of the illegal possession of the bill of lading). And even the true owner is not entitled to claim the goods if he cannot produce a bill of lading.

According to the method of transfer of ownership of goods by means of a bill of lading, bills of lading are divided into the following types.

Personal bill of lading (straight bill of lading) - issued to a specific recipient, indicating his name and address. It may be transferred by nominal endorsement or in another form in compliance with the rules established for the transfer of a debt claim. According to such a bill of lading, the cargo at the port of destination is issued to the recipient indicated in the bill of lading, or to the person to whom the bill of lading was transferred in the specified order.

Order bill of lading (to-order bill of lading) - containing an indication of "the order of the sender" or "the order of the recipient". It assumes that the sender or recipient can transfer their rights to a third party by affixing an endorsement (endorsement) on the bill of lading and handing it over to this person. At the port of destination, according to the order bill of lading, the cargo will be issued to the sender or recipient, depending on whose order it was issued, and if it contains endorsements (bill of lading made out to order and endorsed in blank) - to the person indicated in the last of the continuous series endorsements, or to the bearer of the bill of lading with the last blank inscription.

Bearer bill of lading - assumes that the goods at the port of destination are transferred to any person - the bearer of the bill of lading. Such bill of lading shall be transferred by simple delivery.

Order and bearer bills of lading are negotiable (negotiable bill of lading). Thanks to negotiability, they fulfill their main function - they give their holder the opportunity to dispose of the goods while they are in transit or to pledge a bill of lading to the bank before the arrival of the goods. A bill of lading becomes negotiable only if it has been so issued.

If the shipper intends to receive a negotiable bill of lading, he shall indicate in the bill of lading: "by order of name". The shipper, who wishes to receive a non-negotiable bill of lading, does not enter the term "order", but indicates the recipient of the cargo in the corresponding field of the bill of lading.

Negotiable bills of lading are preferred in some types of international trade because due to the fact that the bill of lading is negotiable, the cargo also actually becomes negotiable. The negotiable form of bills of lading is usually used in the trade of grain, oil, etc. goods, where bills of lading for goods in transit are sold and bought through a chain of stipulated contracts where no intermediaries take over the goods and only the last buyer physically receives the goods from the ship upon arrival. As mentioned above, negotiable bills of lading are also used in cases where the buyer intends or intends to pledge the bills of lading as additional security to the bank before the arrival of the goods.

However, in practice, non-negotiable bills of lading (non-negotiable bill of lading) are more often used, the use of which assumes that the recipient himself will accept the goods upon the arrival of the ship. Even a non-negotiable bill of lading acts as a document of title, since only the recipient indicated in it has the right to demand the release of goods by the shipowner (if he presents a bill of lading).

Depending on the presence of reservations about the carrier's claims to the quantity and quality of the goods accepted for transportation or its packaging, bills of lading are distinguished "clean" (clean bill of lading) and "with reservations" (claused).

"Clean" bills of lading do not contain additional clauses or notes directly stating the defective condition of the goods and / or packaging. A clause not related to the condition of the goods upon loading, but affecting their future fate and condition upon unloading, does not make a bill of lading a bill of lading with reservations.

Presentation of a "clean" bill of lading is a prerequisite for many transactions in international trade. The bank may not accept a bill of lading with reservations (notes), unless the letter of credit clearly indicates which of them are allowed.

In international practice, a "clean" bill of lading is often issued by the carrier to the shipper in exchange for letter of guarantee the last one. In international practice, there is also a distinction between onboard bills of lading (shipped on board bill of lading) and on cargo accepted for loading (received for shipment). If the goods are not transported in containers, bills of lading are usually airborne. On-board bills of lading indicate: "loaded in good condition (by whom) on board the ship (name)"; on bills of lading for shipment: "received in good condition from (whom) for shipment on board the ship (name)". When the shipowner issues an onboard bill of lading, he confirms that the cargo has been loaded on board the ship. If he issues a bill of lading for loading on board the ship, he only confirms that the goods have been delivered under his protection. This type of bill of lading is usually used when the goods are prepared for shipment in containers at the factory, at the exporter's warehouse or at a container terminal outside the port (for example, at a railway station).

Bills of lading also differ depending on the specifics of the transportation.

Voyage (linear) bill of lading (liner bill of lading) - is used when transporting goods on ships making scheduled voyages for which there is a reserved berth at the port of destination. This is a bill of lading for liner, not tramp transportation, when the ship does not have a fixed route and flight schedule.

A charter (freight) bill of lading (chartered bill of lading) is used in tramp (irregular) transportation. Charter or charter-party (charter, charter-party) is a contract for the carriage of goods by a tramp ship. The parties in the charter agreement are the charterer (shipper or his representative) and the charterer (carrier or his representative).

The charterer may conclude a contract for the carriage of goods with a third party. The bill of lading issued for such transportation must contain the indication "by charter party", and the contract for transportation - a reference to the contract for the hire of this vessel. The liner bill of lading contains all the essential terms of the contract of carriage and a third party (for example, the endorser or other holder of the bill of lading) has the opportunity to learn about them from the bill of lading itself. A charter bill of lading incorporates by reference certain of the terms of a charter party so that they may have an effect on the consignee or endorser of the bill of lading.

The main difference between liner and charter bills of lading is that banks generally, unless instructed to the contrary, refuse to accept a charter bill of lading as a valid offer of a letter of credit. That is, unless otherwise provided in the letter of credit, banks reject a document that indicates that it is issued on the terms of a charter party.

Bills of lading can also be straight and through.

Direct bills of lading are used for transportation from port to port.

Through bills of lading (through bill of lading) are used if sea transportation is only part of the total transportation and the goods must be transported by different land and sea carriers. In this case, it is usually more convenient for the sender to obtain a through bill of lading than to enter into contracts with several carriers who must carry the goods at subsequent stages of transportation. Through bills of lading are also used when the sea transportation itself is divided into separate stages, which are carried out by different shipowners by way of reloading. A through bill of lading is typical of modern container transport, when goods are transported from the place of loading to the destination in the same containers, but on various types transport. The shipper enters into a contract of carriage only with the carrier who signs the bill of lading through. The carrier (forwarder) organizes reloading with subsequent transportation. Goods shall be deemed delivered only by the last of the carriers after the transfer of one original part of the through bill of lading, which is to be transferred to the consignee.

If a shipping company is engaged in combined transport, it may issue a special container bill of lading, which is subject to the rules of The Hague-Visby. All container bills of lading are usually not onboard (shipped on board), but loading (received for shipment). This is due to the fact that they are often accepted for transportation at container stations outside the port. The terms of the contract of carriage are indicated on the back of the container bill of lading.

If bill of lading includes an insurance policy, it is an insured bill of lading (insured bill of lading).

Together with the bill of lading, an invoice or invoice is actively used. A distinction should be made between an invoice, a pro forma invoice and a provisional invoice. A proforma invoice contains information about the price and value of the goods, but is not a settlement document, because does not contain a requirement to pay the amount specified in it. Therefore, while performing all other functions of the account, it does not perform the main function of the account as a payment document. A proforma invoice can be issued for goods shipped but not yet sold and vice versa. Usually it is issued for the supply of goods for consignment, exhibitions, auctions, supply of raw materials under contracts for processing, supply of goods as a gift or gratuitous assistance (in this case, it can be issued only for the purposes of customs valuation).

A preliminary invoice is issued when the goods are accepted in the country of destination or in case of partial (fractional) deliveries of the goods. It contains information about the quantity and cost of a consignment of goods and is subject to payment. After acceptance of the goods or delivery of the entire batch, an invoice is issued, according to which the final payment is made.