Container Service Types

There are different types of containerised service types available..

FCL : Full Container Load – this is when the full container is used by a single customer for his cargo.. FCL containers are usually packed and unpacked by the client at his premises at the origin and destination.. The client takes responsibility, liablity for the packing and condition of the cargo packed in the FCL container..

LCL : Less than Container Load – this is when the same container is used for cargoes belonging to multiple shippers and consignees.. The clients deliver their cargo to the lines packing station (CFS – Container Freight Station) and the line then packs the delivered cargo on behalf of the client.. In the case of LCL containers, the shipping line takes responsibility and liability for the packing, condition and delivering of the cargo..

In some countries for ex South Africa – there is no concept of LCL containers..

GROUPAGE : Similar to LCL with the only difference that these containers, cargo packing etc are controlled by a Groupage operator instead of the shipping lines in the case of LCL containers.. The Groupage operator books the container with the shipping line as their cargo depending on how much cargo they have (20′ or 40′).. Once the cargo is packed, they issue their own House Bills to their clients and collect the Master Bill of lading from the shipping line.. Also known as Consolidation..

An additional aspect to consider here is that sometimes these terms are considered as Terms of Shipment as well :

FCL/FCL – One shipper => One consignee

FCL/LCL – One shipper => Multiple consignees

LCL/FCL – Multiple consignees => One consignee

LCL/LCL – Multiple shippers => Multiple consignees

Letter of Credit – how it works

This article is to provide in simple terms an explanation of how letter of credit works..

In the beginning there is a seller and buyer who want to conclude a business transaction.. Now they might or might not know each other or might or might not trust each other in terms of finiancial obligations..

Because of the time it takes for cargoes shipped from foreign ports to reach their destination, importers have to find a way of guaranteeing payment to exporters before the goods are received.. The answer is a letter of credit – an instruction by the importer’s bank to an overseas bank to pay the exporting company in advance.. The banks naturally charge interest for this service..

The buyer sets a list of terms and conditions under which he would like to buy and ship the cargo from the seller.. This list generally has

• description of the goods he wants to buy from the seller
• quantity of the goods
• technical description if any
• documentary requirements (bills of lading, commercial invoice, packing list etc etc)
• details of the consignee (generally the issuing bank will be shown as the consignee and they will have control of the cargo until such time they receive the money from the buyer)
• details of who must be notified of the arrival of the shipment
• latest date of shipment
• sometimes the buyer also nominates the shipping line that is to be used
• which shipping ports are to be used
• what mode of transport is to be used

This L/C is then issued by the buyers bank (known as issuing bank) and is generally sent to the seller and his bank (known as the nominated bank)..

The seller than proceeds to prepare his goods and documents based on the L/C.. Once the shipment has been accomplished, the seller will take the copies of all the documents as per the instructions on the L/C to his bank.. His bank checks the veracity and correctness of the submitted documents against the L/C specifications..

Once the bank is satisfied that the docs and shipment are in accordance with the L/C, they pay the seller the money that is due to him as per the price agreed between him and the buyer..

The nominated bank, then sends all the docs to the issuing bank who cross verify the same and once they are satisfied with the conditions, they reimburse the receiving bank the money that they paid to the seller..

The issuing bank then advises the buyer that the shipment has been effected and that they are in possession of all the docs.. The buyer then arranges to pay the issuing bank the money that has been reimbursed by them to the receiving bank..

Upon receipt of these funds, the issuing bank then endorses the bill of lading so that the cargo can be released to the buyer..

So begins and ends the process of a Letter of Credit..

Shipping Process – the beginning

Where does all this shipping process begin..?? Well, its pretty much like a normal purchase.. You go to a store, find something that you like, ask the clerk to pack it and you take it or you ask to “ship” it.. Its something like that.. Markets are identified in many ways through trade fairs, exhibitions, road shows, advertising etc..

The seller and the buyer meet and come together to an agreement on prices or terms of shipment.. They then discuss on how the shipment will proceed.. In general if the shipper and consignee know each other and have a mutual trust on receiving the monies, the transaction is done COD.. The most common mode of transactions are the ones covered under an L/C (Letter of Credit)..

The shipper (seller) then either appoints a Forwarding Agent who generally negotiates freight rates with the shipping lines on his behalf or the shipper takes that responsibility himself if he is well versed with the market.. The shipper might also appoint a Customs Clearing agent to handle his customs documentation or this might also be done by the Forwarding Agent..

The forwarder or shipper then nominate a carrier to carry the cargo from A to B.. Once the cargo reaches its destination, the consignee (buyer) follows a similar process to that followed by the shipper in appointing his own Forwarding and/or Clearing agent and clears the cargo..

Common terms of shipment

There are many types of terms of shipment when it comes to shipping cargo from A to B.. It firstly depends on the relationship of the seller and buyer.. Depending on the same, the TOS (Terms of Shipment) varies from (but not restricted to)

COD – Cash on Delivery, Free of Freight or INCO Terms

INCO Terms – is a term that is very often heard and circulated among many in the corridors of shipping.. But what does this actually mean and how does it work..

Here is a simplified version in LAYMAN’s ([láymen] – noun – somebody without specialist knowledge: somebody, especially a man, who is not trained or expert in a specific area) terms..

INCO TERMS SIMPLIFIED

Firstly INCO stands for International Co-operation.. International Co-operation Terms – are a set of trading terms which has been devised by the International Chamber of Commerce so that traders worldwide can negotiate their prices and terms and conduct business in a similar way..

The terms are :

• Terms at place of Origin – EXW
• Cost of carriage paid by the Buyer – FCA, FOB, FAS
• Cost of carriage paid by the Seller – CFR, CIF, CPT, CIP
• Terms at place of Destination – DAF, DES, DEQ, DDU, DDP

Terms at place of Origin

EXW – EX WORKS – the buyer (person buying the goods) pays for all the costs from the time the goods leaves the sellers (person selling the goods) premises till it reaches the buyer.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of moving the container from the warehouse in Benoni till the warehouse in Timbuktu will be to the buyers account and he will negotiate his price based on the same..

Costs for the buyer includes, but not limited to,

• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail ,
• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at both ends ,
• ocean freight costs including all surcharges
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

Costs for the seller includes, but not limited to,

• cost of packing the cargo

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Cost of carriage paid by the Buyer

FCA – FREE CARRIER – the seller delivers the goods customs cleared for export to the carrier nominated by the buyer at the place it is required to be delivered to the carrier (example a container yard or CFS) in order for it to be shipped.. This becomes more pertinent when the carrier is doing the landside movement on behalf of the client.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of packing the container, moving the container from the sellers warehouse and customs clearance for export and handing over to the carrier, will be to the sellers account..

Cost for the buyer includes but not limited to,

• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at both ends ,
• ocean freight costs including all surcharges
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail
• off-loading costs at named place of the carrier

The buyers responsibility begins from the point that the cargo is handed over from the seller to the carrier..

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FAS – FREE ALONGSIDE SHIP – the seller is obliged to deliver the goods customs cleared for export, to an area usually a shed, warehouse or berth where the vessel is expected to berth.. This term is generally used in transactions that are mainly by sea and is one of the old terms that are used and is usually used for conventional (uncontainerised) cargo.. From here all costs are for the buyers account.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of packing the container, moving the container from the sellers warehouse and customs clearance for export till the shed, warehouse or berth where the vessel is expected to berth, will be to the sellers account..

Cost for the buyer includes but not limited to,

• ocean freight costs including all surcharges
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail
• off-loading costs at the shed, warehouse or berth where the vessel is expected to berth

The buyers responsibility begins from the point that the cargo is handed over from the seller to the carrier when the goods are placed alongside a named ship at a named area within a named port..

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FOB – FREE ON BOARD – the seller is obliged to deliver the goods customs cleared for export, port dues & taxes paid, on board the named ship.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of packing the container, moving the container from the sellers warehouse and customs clearance for export till loading of the cargo onto a named ship, will be to the sellers account..

Cost for the buyer includes but not limited to,

• ocean freight costs including all surcharges
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail
• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at port of loading

The buyers responsibility begins from the point that the cargo has been loaded on board the named ship..

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Cost of carriage paid by the Seller

CFR – COST AND FREIGHT – the seller is obliged to take responsibility/risk for all costs and freight till the cargo is loaded on board the ship at the port of loading, but the cost factor only passes from the seller to the buyer at the named discharge port.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of packing the container, moving the container from the sellers warehouse and customs clearance for export till the cargo reaches the discharge port (for Timbuktu), will be to the sellers account.. This term is generally used in port to port shipments..

Cost for the buyer includes but not limited to,

• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at port of discharge
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail
• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at port of loading
• ocean freight costs including all surcharges

The buyers responsibility begins from the point that the cargo passes the ships rail at the port of discharge..

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CIF – COST, INSURANCE, FREIGHT – essentially the same as CFR with the exception that the responsibility of insurance of the cargo during transit is the sellers..

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CPT – CARRIAGE PAID TO – the seller is obliged to take responsibility/risk for all costs, and freight till the cargo is loaded on board the ship at the port of loading, but the cost factor only passes from the seller to the buyer at the named place till which the charges have been paid.. This place could be any inland destination.. However, if the carrier is performing carrier haulage function, then the risk/responsibility passes to the buyer at that stage.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of packing the container, moving the container from the sellers warehouse and customs clearance for export till the cargo reaches the place of delivery (Timbuktu) shown on the bill of lading, will be to the sellers account.. This term is generally used in multi-modal shipments on through bills of lading..

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail
• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at port of loading and port of discharge
• ocean freight costs including all surcharges
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

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CIP – CARRIAGE AND INSURANCE PAID TO – essentially the same as CPT with the exception that the responsibility of insurance of the cargo during transit is the sellers, right upto the place of delivery..

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Terms at place of Destination

DAF – DELIVERED AT FRONTIER – mostly used for cargo moving on land between two bordering countries.. The seller is obliged to deliver the cargo at the named border post with the seller clearing customs on his side for exports and the buyer doing the same on his side of the border.. If there are many borders, then the seller can terminate his contract at the first border and the buyer will have to carry on from there.. Example : if the seller in Benoni is selling cargo to a buyer in Lubumbashi – the seller will be responsible for packing of the cargo, customs clearance on the SA side till the named border post..

Cost for the buyer includes but not limited to,

• customs clearance charges at his side of the border
• landside transportation by either road or rail on his side

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• landside transportation by either road or rail on his side

The buyers responsibility begins from the point that the cargo passes from the sellers border to his border..

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DES – DELIVERED EX SHIP – the seller is responsible to deliver the cargo right upto the point when the ship arrives alongside the named port of discharge.. Mostly used in port to port shipments.. Under this term the buyer has full control of the carriage and the shipper takes all the risk and cost till it is delivered at the named port of discharge.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of packing the container, moving the container from the sellers warehouse and customs clearance for export till the cargo reaches the discharge port (for Timbuktu), will be to the sellers account..

Cost for the buyer includes but not limited to,

• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at port of discharge
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail
• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at port of loading
• ocean freight costs including all surcharges

The buyers responsibility begins from the point that the cargo passes the ships rail at the port of discharge..

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DEQ – DELIVERED EX QUAY – essentially similar to DES except that in DEQ the seller also pays for the discharge costs from ship to shore at the named port of discharge..

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DDU – DELIVERED DUTY UNPAID – the seller is obliged to deliver the cargo at the named place of delivery excluding the payment of customs duty, however at the same time, being dependent on the buyer to be able to arrange for customs clearance at the first port of entry for that named destination.. Example : If the seller is based in Benoni and the buyer is in Timbuktu – all the costs of packing the container, moving the container from the sellers warehouse and customs clearance for export till the cargo reaches the place of delivery (Timbuktu), will be to the sellers account..

Cost for the buyer includes but not limited to,

• customs clearance, duties, taxes etc
• on-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail

Cost for the seller includes but not limited to,

• packing of container
• customs clearance for export
• pre-carriage landside transportation by either road or rail
• port handling costs (example Terminal Handling Charges) at port of loading and port of discharge
• ocean freight costs including all surcharges

The buyers responsibility begins from the point that the cargo reaches the place of delivery..

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DDP – DELIVERED DUTY PAID – essentially the same terms as DDU except that in DDP, the seller also undertakes to pay the customs duties, vat etc as per the local regulations in force..

Types of cargo ships

When it comes to seafreight cargo, there are a variety of cargo ships and modes of shipping based on the cargoes available..

Container Vessels – is currently the most common mode of transport used for carrying 20′, 40′ and 45′ containers.. More details on size/type and usage of containers will follow in another article.. These come in various capacities ranging from about 85 teus (twenty equivalent units) to 15,000+ teus..

Bulk Vessels – Used for the carriage of bulk commodities like wheat, sulphur, iron ore, coal etc etc..

Breakbulk Vessels – Used for the carriage of various kinds of cargoes – bagged cargo (cement, sugar etc), palletised cargo (paint, chemicals etc), timber etc etc

Ro-Ro Vessels – Used for the carriage of wheeled cargo like cars, buses, trucks, exacavators etc etc.. Where the option is available, these vsls can also carry some project cargoes as long as these are loaded on mafi trailers or any other wheeled modes.. Further classified as PCC (Pure Car Carriers) & PCTC (Pure Car & Truck Carriers) the purpose of which are obvious from the names..

Multi-purpose Vessels – Used for the carriage of a combination of above cargoes.. Very versatile, popular and useful vessels specially along certain routes which require self-geared vessels..

Tanker Vessels – Used for the carriage of various liquid cargoes like oil, chemicals etc..

Crude Carriers – Used for the carriage of (you guessed it) crude oil – further classified as VLCC (Very large Crude Carriers) and ULCC (Ultra large Crude Carriers)

LNG Carriers – Used for the carriage of Liquified Natural Gas..

Reefer Vessel – Used for the carriage of frozen cargoes or temperature controlled cargoes like fruits, meat, fish etc..

Cargo ships are classified under different categories based on their size, dimension and weight..

Most common classifications are :

• Handy size, ships weighing between 28,000-40,000 DWT
• Handymax, ships weighing between 40,000-50,000 DWT
• Aframax, generally tankers weighing between 75,000 and 115,000 DWT
• Suezmax, the largest size of ship which can pass through the Suez Canal – DWT of around 150,000 tons
• Panamax, the largest size of ship which can pass through the Panama Canal – DWT of between 60,000 to 80,000 tons
• Malaccamax, the largest size of ship which can navigate through the Malacca Straits – would have a DWT of ideally between 280000 to 300,000 tons in terms of container ships
• Capesize, vessels larger than Panamax and Suezmax, which cannot pass through either the Panama Canal or Suez Canal and has to pass through the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn – above 150,000 long tons in DWT
• VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier), supertankers between 150,000 and 320,000 DWT
• ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carrier), supertankers between 320,000 and 550,000 DWT
• Seawaymax, the largest size of ship that can fit through the canal locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway – has a DWT of between 10,000 to 60,000 tons

Basics of Shipping

We all hear about shipping everywhere.. Just what is SHIPPING.. Well the dictionary meaning is shipping [shípping] noun = act of transporting goods: the act or business of transporting goods

Who are the people that are generally involved in shipping..??

Well, they are :

• Shipper
• Consignee
• Notify Party
• Shipping Line
• Clearing Agent
• Forwarding Agent
• Haulier
• Port Authority
• Customs Authority

What is their role..??

Shipper – the company or person whose name is reflected in the shipper column in the bill of lading – in other words the “seller” of the cargo..

Consignee – the company or person whose name is reflected in the consignee column in the bill of lading – in other words the “buyer” of the cargo..

Notify Party – the company or person whose name is reflected in the notify column in the bill of lading – may or may not be the same person as the “buyer” – normally the notify party is the person who receives the notice of arrival from the shipping line.. In some of the cases the clearing agent for the consignee is shown as the notify party..

Shipping Line – the company that actually carries the cargo from Point A to Point B.. They may or may not own the ships that the cargo is carried on..

Clearing Agent – the company that is authorised to process documents and cargo with customs on behalf of the client.. The company has to be registered with the customs authorities in order for them to do this..

Forwarding Agent – the company that handles all shipping movements for a client.. The forwarding agent generally negotiates rates with the shipping lines, nominates which shipping line to use for the carriage.. They may or may not do the customs clearing as well and sometimes nominate a clearing agent of their choice..

Haulier – the company that takes care of the transportation – either rail or road for the shipper, consignee or shipping line to move the cargo from Point A to Point B..

Port Authority – the company that operates the harbour where the ships belonging to the shipping lines berth.. Usually it’s a government entity but in some countries it also could be a private entity or a parastatal..

Customs Authority – the government entity that regulates tariffs and decides which cargo is allowed into the country and which ones are not and sets the duty payable on the cargoes..

Bill of Lading

Parts of a bill of lading – Part 4 – the final one

The last part of the bill of lading is generally the area where the Freight charges are reflected..

Barring a few countries like Brazil, most of the other countries do not insist on the freight charges being shown on the bill of lading..

The only field that is generally filled in this area is the Freight Payable at which could either be the Port of Load (Prepaid) or Port of Discharge or Final Destination (Collect) or any other port (Elsewhere).. In the case of Freight paid at a destination different from either the Port of Load or Port of Discharge or Final Destination (ex : Shipment from Durban to Shanghai but freight paid in London), the port of discharge agents must check and receive confirmation from the other port that the freight amounts have been paid in full prior to releasing the cargo to the receiver..

The other important fields in this area are

• Place of Issue – is the place where the original bill of lading is signed and released (issued) to the shipper or his agent
• Date of Issue – is the date on which the original bill of lading is signed and released to the shipper or his agent.. This date in general would be on or after the containers or cargo is actually on board of the ship and should be the same date or later than the shipped on board date..
• Number of originals – is the number of original bills of lading that the client requires the line to release for that particular shipment.. Standard is 3 originals.. If one of the three originals are duly discharged then the other two are deemed null and void..

Then there is also the attachment sheet to the bill of lading.. This is used when the details shown in the description is too large to fit within the space provided on the original bill of lading stationery.. This attached sheet forms part of the bill of lading and should carry all the stamps and endorsements on the original bill of lading and should clearly show the bill of lading number and vessel and voyage information..

All information covered in the articles related to the parts of the bill of lading are general information and each shipping line have their own specifications and peculiarities with regards to their bill of lading stationery and the information required.

Parts of a bill of lading – Part 3

Part 3 of the parts of a bill of lading.. Here we shall cover the cargo particulars of the shipment..

In most bills of lading for containerised shipments, you will see the notation PARTICULARS FURNISHED BY SHIPPER – CARRIER NOT RESPONSIBLE..

Marks & Numbers – Marks & Numbers are important information in a shipment.. The shipper marks his packages with some information identifying the shipment so that the consignee can know what the shipment is.. The marks and numbers can have any of below :

• the consignees name and address
• the purchase order number
• the number of the package – 1 of 32 etc for easy identification

or of course have any logos etc of the shipper..

Marks & Numbers play a much more important role in a breakbulk shipment or an LCL/Groupage shipment rather than a full container shipment.. In these cases it is prudent for the shipper to mark the packages in such a way so that identification of the same is easy, as in a breakbulk or groupage shipment there are many packages belonging to many shippers..

In the case of shipping lines that carry only containers, they normally show this field as Marks & Numbers/Container Nos. so that the container numbers and seal numbers are recorded here with or without marks and numbers..

No. and kind of Packages : Here the number of packages that are packed in the container or loaded on the ship as breakbulk are recorded.. Example : 16 crates & 23 pallets or 16 cartons in 2 pallets etc..

Description of Packages & Goods : This area is used to describe exactly what cargo is being loaded in the container or onboard the ship.. In the case of containerised cargo, it is usually reflected as :

“22 packages STC (or) Said To Contain 15000 tubes of Toothpaste and 500 cartons of Cigarettes”

Below the description, generally other information like Nett Weight, Import Licence Number, L/C Number, Freight conditions etc are also mentioned..

For containerised cargo, it is VERY IMPORTANT that the shipping line shows the SAID TO CONTAIN clause on the bill of lading.. The reason for this is that the shipping line does not get involved in the packaging of the container and as such does not know what and how many are packed in the container by the shipper.. The shipping line goes by what is declared by the shipper and the bill of lading is issued as such.. In a lot of cases, this is further covered by a stamp SHIPPERS, LOAD, STOW AND COUNT that is endorsed by the shipping line on the bill of lading..

Gross Weight : This is the weight of the cargo that is packed in the container or loaded on board.. This is generally only the weight of the cargo + the weight of the packaging and does not include the tare weight of the container..

Measurement : This is the volumetric calculation of the cargo that is packed in the container..

Parts of a Bill of Lading – Part 2

Part 2 of the parts of a bill of lading –In this article we will cover the details relating to the voyage..

Pre-Carriage by : Assume that there is an inland point which is connected to the mainland port by means of a feeder (connecting) vessel, the name of that vessel is shown here.. Example – Maputo to Durban.. In some cases if the pre-carriage is by land or rail means that can also be mentioned here, however this is is very very rarely displayed here..

Place of Receipt : This is the place where the cargo is handed over by the shipper or his agent to the carrier (shipping line).. This is very important in terms of the contract of carriage between the shipper and the shipping line.. If this area is filled, it is assumed that the carrier has done the movement from here to the Port of Loading and if there any incidents, damages etc to the container or cargo between the Place of Receipt and Port of Loading, the liability will be that of the carrier.. So the shipping line must be careful not to show anything in the Place of Receipt if they are not actually doing the movement..

Port of Loading : This is the place from which the container or cargo is loaded by the carrier onto the nominated Ocean Vessel..

Ocean Vessel/Voyage : This is the name of the vessel and the voyage number that carries the container or cargo from the (mainland) Port of Loading (example Durban) to the Port of Discharge (example Mumbai).. Remember that the combination of vessel and voyage will be unique and never repeated (well almost never)..

Port of Discharge : This is the place at which the container or cargo is discharged by the carrier from the nominated Ocean Vessel..

Place of Delivery : This is the final destination of the container or cargo.. If this area is filled (example : ICD Bengaluru), it means that the carrier has undertaken to move the container or cargo from the Port of Discharge to the Place of Delivery.. Again as in the case of Place of Receipt, the shipping line must be careful when showing anything in this field as then, it will be liable to deliver the container or cargo in good order and condition to this place of delivery.. If there is a Place of Delivery shown in the B/L, generally the carrier does not allow the client (merchant) to take delivery of the container or cargo at the Port of Discharge and move it to the Place of Delivery, reason being that if anything happens to the container or cargo enroute to the Place of Delivery, the carrier may still be held liable..

Parts of a Bill of Lading – Part 1

There are different part to a bill of lading that needs to be filled up.. We will discuss the relevance of each part..

In this article we will discuss the address and reference details.. Please bear in mind that this “generic” information and does not refer to any line in particular as each line have their own format and setup..

Shipper – is the name and address details of the shipper who is shipping the cargo.. This may or may not be the actual owner or manufacturer of the cargo, but could also be a trader or freight forwarder depending on the type of bill of lading that is issued..

Consignee – is the name and address details of the consignee who is receiving the cargo or is the actual buyer.. This may or may not be the actual owner or recipient of the cargo as it could be a bank or trader or forwarder depending on the type of bill of lading that is issue.. However, being named as the consignee on the bill of lading also comes with the risk and responsibility of being held accountable for many issues such as non-clearance of cargoes, late clearance, claims etc..

Notify – is the name and address details of the person who generally should be notified of the arrival of the cargo.. Depending on the bill of lading that is issued this could be the actual buyer or receiver of the goods, clearing and forwarding agent or the trader.. Generally the notice of cargo arrival is to be sent to this notify party..

Bill of Lading Number – is the unique number provided to the shipment covered under a specific bill of lading.. This is allocated by the shipping line and must be quoted by the client for any queries, sailing info, arrival info, claims etc..

Reference Numbers – this space can be used to update any reference numbers specific to the client or the freight forwarder which they will use to trace their shipments..

Carriers Agents – here the details of the agents at discharge port is usually recorded by the shipping line so that the destination agent of the client/forwarder can contact the shipping lines agents to query the status of the shipment or go for release etc..

Fwrd - Ben Eastaugh and Chris Sternal-Johnson