Transport and Commercial Documents

The traditional maritime Dill of Lading (B/L) concerned with the carriage of goods between two named ports is now largely replaced by a Combined Transport B/L covering transport on a "door-to-door" or "depot-to-depot" basis.

A maritime B/L has three important elements:

■ It is a receipt for goods shipped, which provides certain details of, to their condition when placed on board

■ It is also a document of title, which means that the company named on the B/L (or the holder as determined by any subsequent negotiation) has the right to possess the goods. A transfer of title on the B/L acts as a transfer of ownership. This element of a B/L is vital to the payment arrangements for the goods. Bs/L are made out in sets, usually of two oi three originals, any one of which gives title to the goods.

■ It acts as evidence that there is a contract between either the exporter or importer and ashipping company to transport the goods by sea.

A clean B/L is one which has no superimposed clause or statement declaring some defect in the condition of the exported goods or the packaging, or some other aspect of the consignment.

A received for shipment B/L confirms that the shipping company has the goods in custody for shipment: it can be converted to a shipped bill by an endorsement from the carrier when the goods have been loaded aboard the shi p.

The Combined Transport B/L requires neither ports of loading nor destination to be specified by the shipper, nor does it require "shipped on board" endorsement. It is a comprehensive document of carriage co­vering the movement of goods from start to finish.

A Waybill can replace a B/L where a document of title is not essential to the transaction, e.g. in open account sales; or shipments between associ­ated companies or branches of multinational companies.

A Commercial invoice will be required for every export consignment. Apart from the basic commercial information specific to that transaction, many countries require declarations in one form or another, concerned principally with the origin of the goods and the accuracy and reliability of the pricing.

A limited number of countries - principally dependent or excolonial territories - require the use of special Certificates of Value and Origin when invoicing goods for which preferential rates of duty apply. Other countries require certification, countersignature or legalization by chambers of commerce, embassies or consulates. There are numerous variations. Importers need to be familiar with the requirements and to provide for the costs incurred.

Certificates of Origin are required by some countries for all goods, and by others for particular items. They are generally issued by chambers of commerce in the UK. Special Certificates of Health, Age, Quality or Inspection will be specified for particular goods, e.g. plants, livestock, alcoholic spirits, or where a Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme is In operation requiring pre-shipment inspection or verification.

Incoterms define the responsibility for insurance where the contract between exporter and importer is on terms that require marine insurance cover. A regular exporting company may have "open" or "floating" cover from the whole of its overseas trade. In this case only an Insurance certifi­cate for individual transactions is required, unless the contract or the agreed method of payment requires a copy of the full Insurance policy.

3. Precis the following text in English in about one-third of its size.