Master bill of lading
MBL
A 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.
What it is
A master bill of lading, or MBL, is the bill of lading issued by the carrier that actually performs the sea carriage, or by an NVOCC acting as carrier to a forwarder. On it the forwarder or consolidator appears as shipper, and its agent at destination as consignee. It covers the whole container or shipment, regardless of how many individual consignments are inside.
How it works in practice
The master bill is the contract between the forwarder and the carrier. The forwarder's destination agent presents it, or relies on a surrender or seaway bill, to obtain the carrier's delivery order. Each underlying consignment is then released against its house bill. When a shipper books directly with the carrier and no forwarder issues a house bill, the carrier's bill is the only bill for the shipment.
Why it matters
For a forwarder, the master bill sets its cost and its liability position toward the carrier, while the house bills set its position toward customers. Cargo declarations filed with customs commonly link each house bill to its master bill, so the numbers and dates must be recorded consistently. Keeping the master reference on every job also lets carrier invoices and house-level revenue be matched for the same shipment.
In Sailix
How Sailix handles it
Sailix records the master B/L number on import jobs and arrival notices. A Cargo Summary Notification is built as master consignments, each with its master B/L number and date and any house cargo declarations beneath it. On the air side, the house air waybill form holds the master air waybill number.
- 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.
- Customs CSN filesGenerate Cargo Summary Notification JSON files to the Indian Customs SCMTR schema from import and export B/Ls, then submit them through your customs channel.
- House bill of ladingPrepare a House B/L from the booking with parties, routing, cargo, containers, freight lines and clauses, then move it from draft to issued.
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.
- Bill of ladingA 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.
- Cargo Summary NotificationA Cargo Summary Notification is a message filed with Indian customs summarizing cargo by master and house consignment. It is filed under the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations.
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