What is the difference between a shipowner’s bill of lading and a sea waybill of lading?
The shipowner’s bill of lading refers to the ocean bill of lading (Master B/L, also called master bill, sea bill, referred to as M bill) issued by the shipping company. It can be issued to the direct cargo owner (the freight forwarder does not issue a bill of lading at this time), or it can be issued to the freight forwarder. (At this time, the freight forwarder sends the bill of lading to the direct cargo owner).
Freight forwarder’s bill of lading (House B/L, also called sub-bill of lading, referred to as H bill), strictly speaking, should be a non-vessel operating common carrier (first-class freight forwarder, China has started relevant qualification certification in 2002, and the freight forwarder must deliver it at a bank designated by the Ministry of Transport A deposit is required to be approved) The bill of lading is a bill of lading issued by a freight forwarder that has been approved by the Ministry of Transport and has obtained the NVOCC (Non-vessel operating common carrier) qualification. It is usually issued to the direct owner of the cargo; sometimes peers apply the bill of lading, and the bill of lading is issued to The peer will issue its own bill of lading to its direct cargo owner. Nowadays, there are generally more house orders for exports, especially to places in Europe and the United States.
The main differences between the shipowner’s bill of lading and the ocean bill of lading are:
①The contents of the Shipper and Consignee columns on the bill of lading are different: the shipper of the freight forwarder’s bill of lading is the actual exporter (direct cargo owner), and the Consignee consignee generally fills in the same column of the consignment note in accordance with the provisions of the letter of credit, usually To order; and When the M order is issued to the actual exporter, the Shipper fills in the exporter, and the Consignee fills in the consignment note according to the contents; when the M order is issued to the freight forwarder, the Shipper fills in the freight forwarder, and the Consignee fills in the freight forwarder’s agent at the port of destination. people.
②The procedures for exchanging orders at the port of destination are different: as long as you hold the M order, you can go directly to the shipping agency at the destination port to exchange for the import bill of lading. The procedure is simple and fast, and the cost is relatively fixed and cheap; while the holder of the H order must go to the freight forwarder at the destination port to exchange it. Only with M order can you get the bill of lading and go through the customs and pick-up procedures. The cost of changing orders is more expensive and not fixed, and is entirely determined by the freight forwarder at the port of destination.
③The M bill, as a sea waybill, is the most basic and true property right certificate. The shipping company will deliver the goods to the consignee indicated on the M bill at the destination port. If the exporter gets the H order, it means that the actual control of the shipped goods is in the hands of the freight forwarder (at this time, the consignee of the M order is the agent of the freight forwarder’s destination port). If the freight forwarding company goes bankrupt, the exporter (importer) will The merchant) cannot pick up the goods from the shipping company with the H-bill.
④For full box goods, both M and H orders can be issued, while for LCL goods, only H orders can be issued. Because the shipping company will not help the cargo owner consolidate the containers, nor will it help the cargo owner divide the goods at the destination port.
⑤The B/L number of the general freight forwarding document does not enter the customs manifest management system, and is different from the bill of lading number on the import declaration; the B/L number of the cargo owner has the name and contact method of the replacement company, but the contact company is not Port shipping companies such as external agents or Sinotrans.
The process of BL and HBL:
①Shipper sends the consignment note to Forwarder, indicating whether it is a full box or a LCL;
②Forwarder books space with the shipping company. After the ship is on board, the shipping company issues MBL to the forwarder. MBL’s Shipper is the Forwarder at the departure port, and Cnee is generally the Forwarder’s branch or agent at the destination port;
③Forwarder signs HBL to Shipper, HAL’s Shipper is the real owner of the goods, and Cnee usually does the letter of credit to To Order;
④Carrier transports the goods to the destination port after the ship leaves;
⑤Forwarder sends MBL to the destination port branch via DHL/UPS/TNT, etc. (Including: Custom Clearance Docs)
⑥After Shipper gets the bill of lading, he will deliver the bill to the domestic negotiating bank and settle the exchange within the bill presentation period. If T/T Shipper sends the documents directly to foreign customers;
⑦The negotiating bank shall settle the foreign exchange with the issuing bank with the complete set of documents;
⑧Consignee pays the redemption order to the issuing bank;
⑨The forwarder at the destination port takes the MBL to the shipping company to exchange the order to pick up the goods and clear customs;
⑩Consignee takes HBL to pick up the goods from Forwarder.
The superficial distinction between a freight forwarder’s bill of lading and a shipowner’s bill of lading: From the header, you can tell whether it is a Carrier or Forwarder’s bill of lading. You can tell a big shipping company at a glance. Like EISU, PONL, ZIM, YML, etc.
The distinction between shipowner’s bill of lading and freight forwarder’s bill of lading is mainly based on the following aspects:
①If there is no special provision in the letter of credit, Freight Forwarder’s B/L (HB/L) bill of lading is not acceptable.
②The difference between the freight forwarder’s bill of lading and the shipowner’s bill of lading is mainly in the header and signature
The issuer and signature of the shipowner’s bill of lading, ISBP and UCP600 clearly stipulate that it is signed and issued by the carrier, the captain or their named agent, and its header is the name of the shipping company. Some large shipping companies can know it at a glance, such as EISU, PONL, ZIM, YML, etc. The freight forwarder’s bill of lading only needs to be issued in the name of the freight forwarder, and does not need to show the name of the carrier, nor does it need to show that it is the carrier or the captain’s agent.
Finally, there is also a general freight forwarder’s bill of lading, which is a general freight forwarder’s bill of lading. As long as they have an agent at the port of destination or can borrow an agent, they can sign this kind of bill of lading. In practice, there are no strict regulations for this kind of bill of lading. As There are stamps of Carrier or As Agent. Some freight forwarders are not standardized. Backdating or pre-borrowing is possible. It is possible for data to be falsified. People who are easily deceived also have such bills of lading. There is no evidence to check.
Post time: Oct-24-2023
