Bill of lading
B/L
A bill of lading is a carrier's receipt for cargo and evidence of the contract of carriage. It is issued by the carrier and, when negotiable, is also a document of title.
What it is
A bill of lading, often written B/L, is the document a carrier issues to a shipper when it receives cargo for carriage by sea. It serves three functions. It is a receipt describing the goods and their apparent condition, it is evidence of the terms of the contract of carriage, and in its negotiable form it is a document of title that lets the holder claim the cargo at destination.
How it works in practice
A B/L names the shipper, consignee and notify party, the vessel and voyage, the ports, the containers and seals, and a description of the goods with weight and measurement. It usually starts as a draft that the shipper checks, then is issued as a set of originals, or as a seaway bill or surrendered bill when no original needs to travel. A straight bill is consigned to a named party, while an order bill can be transferred by endorsement.
Why it matters
Errors on a bill of lading are expensive. A wrong consignee, weight or container number can delay customs clearance, block payment under a letter of credit, or require a paid amendment after sailing. Carriers and agents also treat the B/L as a control point: many will not issue or release it until freight and local charges are settled. For that reason drafting, confirmation, issue and release are normally tracked as separate steps.
In Sailix
How Sailix handles it
In Sailix an export B/L moves through draft, customer confirmation, issue and release to the customer. Issue is held until the export invoice is receipted, unless a B/L issue approval allows it earlier. A B/L draft can be prefilled from an uploaded PDF or image by the AI reader, which extracts parties, ports, containers and cargo details for the desk to check.
- Bill of ladingTake an export B/L from draft to customer confirmation, gated issue, release to the customer and surrender, with a PDF at draft and issue.
- AI bill of lading readerReads an uploaded bill of lading and prefills the B/L draft or import B/L form, with a review step before anything is applied.
- Import bill of ladingCreate import B/L records by hand, from an uploaded B/L PDF read by AI, or from a container Excel sheet.
Related terms
- House bill of ladingA house bill of lading is the bill a freight forwarder or NVOCC issues to the actual shipper. It covers cargo that moves under a carrier's master bill.
- Master bill of ladingA master bill of lading is the bill an ocean carrier issues to a freight forwarder or NVOCC. It covers a shipment that may contain several house bills.
- Telex releaseA telex release is a carrier's instruction to deliver cargo without an original bill of lading. It goes to the destination office after the originals are surrendered at origin.
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