What is the difference between House Bill of Lading, Master Bill of Lading..
- House Bill of Lading (HBL) is issued by the NVOCC/Freight Forwarder to the actual customer
- Master Bill of Lading (MBL) is issued by the Shipping Line (Carrier) to the NVOCC/Freight Forwarder – also known as Ocean Bill of Lading
- House Bill of Lading will be an EXACT replica of the Master Bill of Lading issued by the actual Shipping line in respect of cargo details.. The only difference will be that the shipper, consignee and notify party details will be different in the HBL and MBL..
In the HBL
- the Shipper will usually be the actual shipper/exporter of the cargo (or as dictated by the L/C)
- the Consignee will usually be the actual receiver/importer of the cargo (or as dictated by the L/C)
- the Notify could be the same as Consignee or any other party as dictated by the L/C)
In the MBL
- the Shipper will usually be the NVOCC operator or their agent or the Freight Forwarder..
- the Consignee will usually be the destination agent or counterpart or office of the NVOCC operator or the Freight Forwarder
- the Notify could be the same as Consignee or any other party..
The rest of the details like vessel/voyage information, cargo description, number of containers, seal numbers, weight, measurements etc etc will all remain the same..
Unless required otherwise by the L/C, the HBL can also be used as a negotiable document and can be considered the title of goods and receipt of cargo same as an MBL.. In the interest of the NVOCC operator and their insurance coverage/exposure, it is recommended that all the details except the shipper, consignee and notify details on the HBL remain the same on the MBL..
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very informative,keep up the good work.
excellent knowledge
Hi Leslie, straight bill of lading refers to the terms of who the cargo must be delivered to.. Basically cargo is shipped by X to consignee Y.. So only consignee Y has the right to transfer it to someone else if they so wish..
Through bill of lading refers to the terms how the cargo must be delivered to – say for example it is moved from Port Louis to Durban by a feeder vessel and from Durban to Antwerp by mainline vessel and then Antwerp to Oslo by feeder vessel.. There will be 1 document issued showing Pre-carriage from Port Louis and On-carriage to Oslo..
Through bill can be consigned to a named consignee as well which will make it a straight bill of lading..
Hi Bozi, please read
http://shippingandfreightresource.com/2010/09/17/what-to-do-when-the-original-bill-of-lading-is-lost/
http://shippingandfreightresource.com/2012/09/12/how-long-is-a-bank-guarantee-issued-in-lieu-of-a-lost-original-bill-of-lading-valid/
http://shippingandfreightresource.com/2012/09/13/how-long-is-a-bank-guarantee-issued-in-lieu-of-a-lost-original-bill-of-lading-valid-answer-to-readers-queries/
Hi Grace, if bill of lading is consigned to a named consignee (straight bill of lading), it can be transferred to anyone else by way of an endorsement from consignee on the bill of lading – say from X to Y.. This can be done ONLY BY THE NAMED CONSIGNEE ON THE BILL OF LADING..
Hi Prabhakar – pls view http://shippingandfreightresource.com/?s=nvocc&submit=Search for all info related to NVOCC
Hi Ganga, whether it is a House Bill or Master Bill, if it is a negotiable bill, it bears the same value and importance.. In cases where there is a HBL and and MBL, usually the HBL will be the negotiable document..
HBL can show consignee name as TO ORDER and will be accepted by banks as part of the negotiating documents..
There maybe cases however, where LC’s might insist on the shipping lines direct ocean bill of lading rather than a house bill of lading..
CAN WE RELEASE HBL CONSIGNEE NAME AS TO ORDER? IF NOT THEN WHY?