In international trade, we will encounter buyers requesting the exporter to provide a sea bill of lading or a credit bill of lading. 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 after the carrier or its agent receives the goods.

The second is the certificate of the establishment of the transportation contract between the two parties.

The third is the certificate of 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 owner's bill of lading (MASTER B/L)

There is little difference between these two kinds of bills of lading, but the qualification of the issuer is different. H B/L will have more bill of lading fees at the port of destination (sometimes there is more than one bill of lading fee)

If there is no special requirement in L/C, both 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. 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 send a shipping order, and you can save more than ten dollars in exchange fees. If you want to control the right of goods, freight collect, etc., you have to loan the bill of lading, and the freight forwarder can help you do this, of course, not free.

3. If your goods are not the whole container, but the scattered goods, you must only lend the bill of lading, because the shipping company will not help you LCL, and will not help you distribute the goods at the destination port.

4. If you do L/C, but you can't produce it within the specified delivery time, and you can't get on the ship, then you can choose to loan the bill of lading on behalf of you, and ask the freight forwarder to reverse 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 ocean bill of lading is the most basic document of title, and there are many clauses in it that you cannot control.

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

7. The name and contact method of the replacement company are listed on the freight forwarding bill of lading, and the contact company is not a port shipping agency such as foreign agency or Sinotrans.

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

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