The content of a bill of lading consists of two main parts: the particulars recorded on the front and the printed clauses on the back. The front records the cargo and transport matters and involves the rights and obligations of the parties concerned, while the back clauses stipulate the liabilities and immunities between the carrier and the shipper. This article organizes the bill of lading's column structure and filling requirements according to "front recorded particulars, front clauses, and back clauses".
1. Contents on the Front of the Bill of Lading
Generally, the front of a bill of lading records matters relating to the cargo and its carriage. Some of these matters are required by domestic legislation or international conventions relating to bills of lading and must be recorded as part of the contract of carriage; if omitted or recorded incorrectly, they may affect the evidentiary validity of the bill of lading. Others are determined by the carrier at its own discretion to meet the needs of transport operations, or are agreed between the carrier and the shipper as matters that should be recorded on the front of the bill of lading. The former are called mandatory particulars, and the latter are called optional particulars.
(1) Required particulars
National regulations on bills of lading all provide for the necessary particulars to be stated on a bill of lading. Although some are simple and some are complex, from the perspective of the legal effect of the bill of lading and business needs, the provisions on the necessary particulars of a bill of lading in various countries are basically the same. Article 73, Paragraph 1 of China's Maritime Code stipulates that the contents of a bill of lading include the following:
① Description of the goods: name of the goods, marks, number of packages or pieces, weight or volume, and, when transporting dangerous goods, a description of their dangerous nature;
② Regarding the parties: the names of the consignor and consignee, and the name and principal place of business of the carrier;
③ Regarding transportation matters: name and nationality of the vessel, port of loading and date of receipt of goods at the port of loading, port of discharge and route of transport, and the multimodal transport bill of lading additionally lists the place of receipt of goods and the place of delivery of goods;
④ Regarding the issuance of the bill of lading: the date, place, and number of copies of the bill of lading; the signature of the carrier, the master, or their agent.
⑤ Records of freight and other charges payable to the carrier.
Among the above items, except for the name of the vessel when a multimodal transport bill of lading is issued inland, the place of receipt and the place of delivery when an ocean bill of lading is issued, and the payment of freight — these three items may be omitted — all others are indispensable. Generally, entries such as the issuance of the bill of lading and other charges payable to the carrier are filled in by the carrier, while all others are filled in by the shipper. In addition to the required particulars mentioned above, if the carrier and the shipper agree to load the goods on deck, or agree on the date for the carrier to deliver the goods at the port of destination, or agree to increase the carrier's limit of liability, or agree to expand the carrier's liability, or agree to waive certain immunities of the carrier, or other matters as stipulated by relevant laws, etc., they shall all be stated on the face of the bill of lading.
The front of the bill of lading may also contain items recorded in printed, handwritten, or stamped form. Some are items recorded on the front of the bill of lading by the carrier for business needs, such as voyage number, master's name, time and place of freight payment, exchange rate, bill of lading number, and notify party. Some are items recorded to distinguish the responsibilities between the carrier and the shipper, such as annotations regarding quantity disputes; some are content added to reduce or exempt the carrier's liability, such as stamps affixed by the carrier on the bill of lading to expand or emphasize the printed exemption clauses, with content exempting the carrier from liability for damage to certain special cargo that is easily damaged, and so on.
(2) Clauses on the front of the bill of lading
The clauses on the front of a bill of lading refer to the contractual statements printed on the front of the bill of lading, which contain the carrier's exemptions from liability and the shipper's commitments. Common clauses include the following:
① Shipment (or receipt) clause. Example: “Shipped in board the vessel named above in apparent good order and condition (unless otherwise indicated) the goods or packages specified herein and to be discharged at the above mentioned port of discharge or as near thereto as the vessel may safely get and be always afloat.” (The goods or packages listed above, in apparent good order and condition (unless otherwise indicated), have been loaded on the above-named vessel, and are to be discharged at the above-mentioned port of discharge or at a nearby place where the vessel can safely get and remain afloat.)② Contents unknown clause. For example: "The weight, measure, marks, numbers, quality, contents and value, being particulars furnished by the Shipper, are not checked by the Carrier on loading." (The weight, measurements, marks, numbers, quality, contents and value are provided by the shipper, and the carrier did not check them at the time of loading.)
③ Acknowledge acceptance of the terms. For example: “The Shipper, Consignee and the Holder of this Bill of Lading hereby expressly accept and agree to all printed, written or stamped provisions, exceptions and conditions of this Bill of Lading, including those on the back hereof.” (The Shipper, Consignee and the Holder of this Bill of Lading hereby expressly declare that they accept and agree to all printed, written or stamped provisions, exceptions and conditions contained in this Bill of Lading and on its back.)
④ Signing clause. For example: “In witness whereof, the Carrier or his Agents has signed Bills of Lading all of this tenor and date, one of which being accomplished, the others to stand void. Shippers are requested to note particularly the exceptions and conditions of this Bill of Lading with reference to the validity of the insurance upon their goods. (To certify the above, the Carrier or its Agent has signed original Bills of Lading of the same content and date; if one of them has completed the delivery formalities, the others shall become void. Shippers are requested to pay particular attention to the exceptions and conditions in this Bill of Lading concerning the validity of the insurance on their goods.)
2. Clauses on the Back of the Bill of Lading
The back of the bill of lading is printed with various clauses, generally divided into two categories: one is mandatory clauses, whose content cannot violate the relevant national maritime laws, international conventions, or port customs; clauses that violate or do not conform to these regulations are invalid. The other is arbitrary clauses, that is, clauses that are not explicitly stipulated by the above laws, conventions, and customs and allow the carrier to draft on its own. All these clauses are clauses indicating the rights, obligations, liabilities, and exemptions of the carrier, the shipper, and other parties concerned in the carriage of goods, and are the basis for resolving disputes between them. The clauses on the back of the bills of lading of various shipping companies vary in complexity, some as many as thirty or forty, but the content is mostly the same. The main clauses are introduced as follows:
(1) Definition: In the bills of lading of various shipping companies, there is generally a definition clause that stipulates the meaning and scope of the "merchant" as a party to the transport contract, defining "merchant" as "including the shipper, consignee, receiver, holder of the bill of lading, and owner of the goods."
(2) Paramount clause: states the legal basis applicable to the bill of lading, i.e., in the event of a dispute, the law and court of which country should be used for adjudication. This clause is generally printed at the top of the bill of lading clauses, usually listed as the first clause.
(3) Carrier’s responsibility clause: explains the responsibilities and obligations that the carrier issuing this bill of lading undertakes for the carriage of goods. Since the paramount clause in a bill of lading specifies the applicable law, and regardless of whether it is an international convention concerning bills of lading or the maritime laws of various countries, the carrier’s liability is stipulated; any bill of lading that contains a paramount clause or a similar clause no longer lists the carrier’s liability expressly in its terms. If the paramount clause provides that the Hague Rules apply to this bill of lading, then the carrier’s liability under the Hague Rules is the responsibility and obligation that the carrier issuing this bill of lading bears for the carriage of goods.
(4) Carrier's Period of Responsibility Clause: The bill of lading terms of each shipping company contain provisions regarding the time when the carrier's responsibility for the carriage of goods begins and ends. Under the Hague Rules, the carrier is responsible for the goods during the period from loading to discharge, i.e., the so-called "tackle to tackle" liability, specifically referring to the period from when the goods are hooked onto the ship's crane hook to when they are unhooked from the hook at discharge. However, this provision is incompatible with the current cargo handling practices in ordinary liner shipping, such as "receiving goods at the warehouse and consolidating loading" and "centralized discharge and warehouse delivery." Some shipping companies, in order to compete for cargo, often extend the period of responsibility to both ends and record the extended period in the bill of lading clauses. Therefore, in response to this situation and the actual circumstances after the emergence of container transport, the Hamburg Rules expanded the carrier's period of responsibility to "the entire time during which the goods are in the charge of the carrier at the port of loading, during the voyage, and at the port of discharge." Compared with the Hague Rules, this undoubtedly extends the carrier's period of responsibility and increases the carrier's liability.
(5) Exemption clause: Because the paramount clause of the bill of lading stipulates the laws applicable to the bill of lading, and regardless of whether it is the relevant international conventions on bills of lading or the maritime laws of various countries, they all provide for the carrier's exemptions. Therefore, whether or not the bill of lading clauses expressly list exemption provisions, the carrier can enjoy exemption rights in accordance with the laws applicable to the bill of lading. For example, the Hague Rules contain 17 exemptions, such as natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and lightning strikes; war, armed conflict, and pirate attacks; quarantine or judicial seizure; strikes and lockouts; stranding or grounding; saving or attempting to save life or property at sea; and exemptions due to the shipper's fault, such as improper packing, or the natural characteristics or inherent defects of the goods, such as the "normal loss" in volume or weight.
(6) Claim clause: includes limit of liability, which refers to the maximum amount of compensation the carrier pays for each package or unit of goods when it is determined that the carrier is liable for loss of or damage to the goods and should pay compensation; notice of claim, also known as notice of loss or damage; time bar, which refers to the deadline for filing a lawsuit in a claim case, etc.
(7) Packing and mark clause: It requires that before shipment, the shipper shall properly pack the goods, the shipping marks must be definite and conspicuous, and the port of destination shall be clearly indicated on the exterior of the goods, and remain legible at the time of delivery.
(8) Freight clause: Prepaid freight shall be paid together with other charges at the time of shipment. If perishable goods, low-value goods, animals and plants, deck cargo, etc. are shipped, the freight and other charges must be fully paid at the time of shipment. Collect charges shall be paid at the port of destination together with other charges. In addition, the carrier has the right to check the quantity, weight, volume, and contents of the goods. If the actual condition is found to be inconsistent with that stated in the bill of lading, and the freight paid is lower than the freight payable, the carrier has the right to impose a penalty, and all expenses and losses arising therefrom shall be borne by the shipper.
(9) Lien clause: If the cargo owner fails to pay freight, dead freight, demurrage, general average contribution, and all other charges related to the goods, the carrier has the right to detain or sell the goods to offset the debts. If such amount is still insufficient to cover all the debts, the carrier still has the right to recover the balance from the cargo owner.
(10) Transshipment or transshipment clause (Transshipment clause): If necessary, the carrier has the right to transship the goods or use other modes of transport or deliver them indirectly to the destination. The expenses arising therefrom shall be borne by the carrier, but the risks shall be borne by the cargo owner. The carrier's liability is limited only to the transport performed by vessels operated by the carrier itself.
(11) Discharging and delivery clause: After the vessel arrives at the discharge port, the consignee shall take delivery of the goods promptly; otherwise, the carrier has the right to discharge the goods ashore or to other suitable places, and all expenses and risks shall be borne by the cargo owner.
(12) Animals, plants and on deck cargo clause: According to the Hague Rules, these goods are not included within the scope of "goods", so the carrier is not liable for loss of or damage to these goods. However, only "on deck cargo" that is specified in the contract of carriage and actually loaded on deck (on deck) can the carrier be exempted from liability.
(13) Dangerous cargo clause: The shipment of dangerous goods must be declared by the shipper at the time of loading. If not declared or marked, the carrier has the right to unload, discard, or destroy the goods without compensation.
In addition to the contents on the front and back of the bill of lading described above, when necessary, the carrier may also add some annotations to the bill of lading, namely remarks.
Further reading: Bill of Lading Preparation: Standard Methods for Filling Out Ocean Bills of Lading see the column for hands-on filling practice; Basic Knowledge of Bills of Lading: Definition, Functions, and Legal Status understand the legal nature of bills of lading; Types of Bills of Lading: Classification of Various Ocean Bills of Lading systematically review the classification of bills of lading.
Bill of Lading Content FAQ
Q: Which fields on the front of the bill of lading are mandatory particulars?
A: Under Article 73 of China's Maritime Code, the mandatory particulars on the front of the bill of lading include: cargo name, marks, number of packages, weight and volume; names of the shipper and consignee; name and principal place of business of the carrier; ship name and nationality; port of loading and date of receipt of cargo; port of discharge and route; date and place of issue, number of originals; and signature of the carrier, master, or their agent. Except for a few cases such as inland issuance under multimodal transport where some particulars may be omitted, none of the others may be missing.
Q: What do the clauses on the back of the bill of lading mainly specify?
A: The clauses on the back specify the rights, obligations, and exemptions between the carrier, shipper, and other interested parties. Common clauses include definitions, paramount clause, carrier's liability and period of responsibility, exemptions, claims, packing and marks, freight, lien, transshipment, discharge and delivery, live plants and animals, deck cargo, and dangerous goods. They serve as the basis for resolving transport disputes.
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Disclaimer: This article was compiled by the Bofeng Logistics team and verified as of August 2026. Bill of lading field requirements, documentation practices and applicable law may change with international conventions (e.g. UCP600) and current carrier requirements; actual documentation requirements are subject to the letter of credit, trade contract and the carrier's current terms.
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