The bill of lading

From the viewpoint of both the carrier and the shipper, documents which demonstrate the amount and the condition of cargo carried on the ship are essential. The bill of lading is the most important of such documents. The Hague and Hague-Visby Rules provide for the bill of lading to be a record of the quantity of cargo and its apparent order and condition at the time the cargo is entrusted to carries care responsibility ........Without ever having seen the cargo, prospective buyers often decide to purchase goods on the basis of the description in the bill of lading. If bills of lading are issued which inaccurately descripe the cargo, the consequences may be extremely costly for the carrier. Therefore, it is essential that all the information on the face of the bill of lading is checked carefully........The carrier is under an obligation to verify the amount of cargo and to verify its condition and identifing marks at the time the cargo comes into his custody and care. The master should ensure that all the proper arrangements are made for this purpose and should seek clarification from the shipowner if they have not been made........The carrier will be unable to avoid liabilities which arise as a result of a failure to check the cargo unless a check is not reasonable possible. Furthermore, indorsements on the bill of lading, such as shipper's fiqures, fiqures as per shortally, quantity and codition unknown, or said to be........., will seldom absolve the carrier of blame if he was able, but has failed to check the particulars of the cargo to his own satisfaction. The master should not state anything in the bill of lading which he believes to be inaccurate. If the bill of lading does contain inaccurate information, the master should correct it with an appropriate clause before signing it. If the shippers and/ or the charterers insist that bills of lading are issued which do not accurately reflect the quantity or condition of the cargo or the date it was loaded, it is essential that the master obtained clear instructions and advice from the shipowner and his P&I Club lawyers