BillofLading….doc

Bill of Lading 海运提单 A bill of lading is a receipt for goods shipped on board a vessel, signed by the person (or his agent) who contracts to carry them, and stating the conditions in which the goods were delivered to (and received by) the ship. It is not the actual contract, but forms excellent evidence of the terms of the contract. It is a document of title to the goods, enabling the shipper or owner of the goods to endorse title to other parties, sell goods in transit, and present to banks with other documents in seeking payment under documentary credits. Abbreviated generally as B/L, it is the most important document for sea transport. There are different types of bill of lading: （1）Shipped (On Board) B/L and received for shipment B/L 已装船提单和备运提单 · Shipped B/L is issued by the shipping company after the goods are actually shipped on board the designated vessel. Since shipped bill of lading provides better guarantee for the consignee to receive the cargo at the destination, the importer will normally require the exporter to produce shipped B/L and most bill of lading forms are preprinted as “Shipped Bill”. ?hReceived for Shipment B/L arises where the word “shipped” does not appear on the bill of lading. It merely confirms that the goods have been handed over to, and are in the custody of the shipowner. The buyer under a CIF contract will not accept such a B/L because, in the absence of the date of shipment, he is in no position to anticipate the arrival of the consignment. （2） Clean B/L and unclean B/L 清洁提单和不清洁提单 · A clean bill of lading is the one that states that the goods have been “shipped in apparent good order and condition”. It is issued when the goods do not show any defects on their exteriors at the time of loading at the port of shipment. This type is favored by the buyer and the banks for financial settlement purposes. ?cIf defects are found on the exteriors of the goods, or the shipping company does not agree to any of the statements in the B/L, the bill