The Bill Of Lading

Bills of Lading form an essential part of the carriage of goods by sea and international trade. Their multi-functional nature, together with the large volume of case law and regulation, make the law in this field as complex is it is commercially vital. This bestselling book provides a detailed analysis of the law and practice applicable to bills of lading before, during and after shipment, helping today’s busy practitioner to quickly and easily find the information they need. This book has been fully revised and updated with all of the major developments since its first edition, including: Reference to increasingly important Singapore and Far-Eastern decisions An analysis of modern developments in seaworthiness, from vetting and approval clauses to the topical issues of vulnerability and piracy attacks Detailed examination of misdelivery, fraudulent or forged bills of lading, and delivery without production of a bill of lading Revised coverage of conflicts and procedural matters, including anti-suit injunctions, jurisdiction battles and the scope of arbitration Reference to relevant European law relating to issues of jurisdiction and procedure Comprehensive treatment of Switched bills, transhipment, house bills, deck carriage and container cargo New material on the practical implications of electronic bills of lading This text continues to provide an indispensable reference for maritime practitioners and institutions worldwide.

The carriage of goods by sea starts off with a contract of carriage, an essentially simple and straightforward contract between two parties, the shipper and the carrier. Very often, however, a bill of lading is issued and a third party appears on the scene: the holder of the bill of lading. The holder was not involved in the making of the contract of carriage, but does have rights, and possibly obligations, against the carrier at destination. The question then is how the third-party holder of the bill acquires those rights and obligations. Analysing the different theories that have been proposed to explain the position of the third party holder, this book makes a distinction between contractual theories and non-contractual theories to explain the holder's position. Contractual theories build on the initial contract of carriage and apply contract law mechanisms while non-contractual theories construe the position of the third-party holder independently. Following the analysis and appraisal of the different theories, this book makes the case that the position of the third-party holder of the bill of lading is not obvious or self-evident; and submits that a statutory approach to the position of the holder of the bill of lading has advantages and would be preferable.

La 4e de couverture indique : "Provides a guide to the nature and uses of a Bill of Lading. Provides a detailed analysis of common standard form clauses and the legal principles that apply to them. Includes a new Chapter providing key commentary on the Rotterdam Rules. Includes all the important new cases and Supreme Court decisions. Gives you an in-depth treatment of specialist commercial contract area. Gives you practical guidance through commentary on case law and legislation. Organised so that each chapter deals with a particular clause or group of clauses found in day to day practice."

Probably the core characteristic of a bill of lading is that the original bill of lading must be presented at the port of destination for a consignee to be entitled to delivery of the goods and for the carrier to get a good discharge of its delivery obligation by delivering the goods to said consignee. This notion is accepted virtually worldwide, but the more precise content of the "presentation rule" differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Furthermore, and of importance, the legal basis establishing the "presentation rule" differs. With the technological advances in maritime transport as well as in communications technology and the emergence of more complicated trading patterns, a system where a specific tangible piece of paper issued at the port of loading has to be presented at the port of discharge to obtain delivery of the goods seems almost archaic and can obviously create problems. Thus, in practice very often – especially in some trades such as the oil trade – the bill of lading is not available at the port of discharge when the ship is ready to deliver the cargo. The book will first analyse the "presentation rule", its finer contents and its legal basis. It will then go on with (legal) analyses of three developments and responses to the problems that the bill of lading system gives rise to in practice, viz. the commercial, the international legislature’s, and the technological response. The commercial response analysed here consists of contractual exemption or limitation clauses in the bill of lading set up as a defence against claims for misdelivery. The international legislature’s response denotes the adoption of the Rotterdam Rules which as the first international convention on carriage of goods by sea includes elaborate rules on delivery of the goods. Finally, the technological response denotes the possibility of using electronic (equivalents of) bills of lading. The analyses will include a comparative approach examining both English and Scandinavian law to elucidate the issues with greater clarity.

Bills of Lading: Law and Contracts provides a detailed legal analysis of common standard form clauses in bills of lading (and waybills) which are in use in the maritime world, as well as a comprehensive examination of the legal principles which are applicable to them. Bills of Lading: Law and Contracts provides a detailed legal analysis of standard form clauses in bills of lading (and waybills) which are in use in the maritime world, as well as a comprehensive examination of the legal principles which are applicable to them.

This maritime law text provides a detailed examination of a complex and crucial aspect of the ocean bill of lading - its fundamental role in transferring property, title, the rights of suit, liabilities, rights to delivery and legal possession.