Explanation of Shipping Trade Terms

Bill of Lading
 BILL OF LADING
 A bill of lading is a document that evidences a contract of carriage by sea and the taking over or loading of goods by the carrier, and by which the carrier undertakes to deliver the goods at the port of destination.
 
Shipped on Board Bill of Lading
 SHIPPED OR BOARD B/L
 A bill of lading issued by the carrier to the shipper confirming that the goods have been loaded on board the vessel.
 
Received for Shipment Bill of Lading
 RECEIVED FOR SHIPPING B/L
 A bill of lading issued when the carrier has received the goods but has not yet loaded them on board.
 
Direct Bill of Lading
 DIRECT B/L
 A bill of lading issued for goods loaded at the port of shipment and carried directly to the port of discharge without transshipment.
 
Through Bill of Lading
 THROUGH B/L
 A bill of lading issued by the carrier at the port of loading, covering transshipment en route to the final port of destination.
 
Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading
 MT B/L
 A bill of lading issued for goods transported by two or more modes of transport, such as sea, inland waterway, rail, road, or air, covering the entire journey.
 
Liner Bill of Lading
 LINER B/L
 A liner is a vessel that continuously provides cargo services on a fixed route, according to a published schedule, between specified ports. Liners can be either scheduled with fixed sailing times or semi-scheduled with variable sailing times.
 
Charter Party Bill of Lading
 CHARTER PARTY B/L
 Generally refers to a bill of lading issued by the shipowner to the charterer for the charterer's entire cargo, or one issued by the shipowner or charterer when not all cargo belongs to the charterer.
 
Straight Bill of Lading
 STRAIGHT B/L
 A bill of lading under which only the consignee named in the document can take delivery of the goods; it is generally non-negotiable.
 
Order Bill of Lading
 ORDER B/L
 Typically includes an unnamed order (only stating "ORDER"), or a named order ("ORDER OF SHIPPER" or "ORDER OF CONSIGNEE**COMPANY; ORDER OF **BANK"). This type of bill of lading can be transferred through endorsement by the named party.
 
Bearer Bill of Lading
 BLANK B/L or OPEN B/L
 A bill of lading that does not name a specific consignee or contain the word "ORDER," meaning any holder of the bill is entitled to take delivery of the goods.
 
Clean Bill of Lading
 CLEAN B/L
 A bill of lading issued when the goods are in apparent good order and condition upon shipment, without any notations by the carrier regarding damage, defective packaging, or other issues that could hinder payment negotiation.
 
Foul Bill of Lading
 FOUL B/L
 Also known as an unclean bill of lading, issued when the carrier annotates exceptions such as damaged packaging or insecure surface conditions upon receipt of the goods.
 
Parcel Receipt
 PARCEL RECEIPT or NON-NEGOTIABLE RECEIPT
 Applicable for small quantities of goods, luggage, or samples.
 
Minimum Bill of Lading
 MINIMUM B/L
 Issued when the freight does not meet the minimum rate specified in the tariff, with freight charged at the applicable minimum.
 
Omnibus Bill of Lading or Combined Bill of Lading
 OMNIBUS B/L or COMBINED B/L
 The first refers to a single bill of lading covering several different batches of goods; the latter is used when quantities of the same liquid cargo from different batches are loaded into one tank, with separate bills issued.
 
Separate Bill of Lading
 SEPARATE B/L
 A single consignment under one shipping order can be split into two or more sets of bills of lading at the shipper's request.
 
Stale Bill of Lading
 STALE B/L
 A bill of lading presented to the bank for negotiation so long after the cargo shipment date that it cannot reach the consignee at the destination port before the vessel arrives. Banks typically do not accept such bills.
 
Switch Bill of Lading
 SWITCH B/L
 A second set of bills of lading issued at an intermediate port, replacing the original set issued at the port of loading, representing the goods at the intermediate or transshipment point.
 
Ante-dated Bill of Lading
 ANTE-DATED B/L
 A bill of lading whose issuance date is earlier than the actual completion date of cargo loading, issued at the shipper's request by the carrier.
 
Advanced Bill of Lading
 ADVANCED B/L
 Issued when the shipment and negotiation deadlines of the letter of credit are approaching, but the goods are, for reasons, not yet loaded (though under carrier control or being loaded), and the shipper issues a letter of indemnity to obtain the bill in advance.
 
On Deck Bill of Lading
 ON DECK B/L
 A bill of lading for goods stowed on the open deck of the vessel, typically bearing the notation "on deck."
 
House Bill of Lading
 HOUSE B/L
 A bill of lading issued by a freight forwarder, often used for cargo transported from and to inland locations. Technically and legally, it lacks the full effect of a standard bill of lading.
 
International Multimodal Transport
 INTERNATIONAL MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT
 Based on the shipper's instructions, the multimodal transport operator arranges for the goods to be carried using at least two different modes of transport, with sea transport being one mode, from a place of receipt in one country to a designated place of delivery in another country. Major forms include sea-land, sea-air, and sea-rail.
 
International Logistics
 INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS
 The physical flow of goods from one country or region to another, driven by international trade activities, originating and terminating across national borders.