Unbeatable Trucking Service

A well established and experienced freight forwarder is expected to have below capabilities (either owned or outsourced)

• Experienced in all modes of transportation – road, rail, air and sea
• Able to provide cost-effective and efficient cargo shipping solutions based on the customer’s requirement
• Able to arrange storage for the cargo (usually all big forwarders have their own warehouses)
• Able to arrange the distribution or “forwarding” of the cargo as per the instructions of their client
• Have the capability to negotiate freight rates with the shipping line
• Able to book cargo with the shipping line as per the requirement of the client or under their own contract
• Process all relevant shipping documents such as certificates of origin, customs and port documentation, bills of lading and associated shipping/negotiating documentation (Eur1, Certificate of Origin, etc)
• Issue their own approved house bill of lading (HBL) although they are not an NVOCC
• Arrange transportation of the cargo from/to the customers’ premises and port
• Have a thorough knowledge of over border cargo movement
• May or May not also do Customs Clearance
• May or May not be accredited to customs, port etc and cannot do customs clearance if not accredited
• Acts as a carrier in cases where they issue house bill of lading.

Whenever there is an LC involved, there will be a bank involved and invariably the Original Bill of Lading will be consigned To the order of xyz Bank. Your role as a Shipper is to export the goods as per the contract, prepare the documentation as per the LC requirement and submit to the bank, which you have done in this case.

There is no limitation on number of original bills of lading issued. In your case, 3 originals have been issued.

Irrespective of number of bills of lading issued, if a Negotiable bill of lading has been issued, upon surrender of 1 duly discharged original bill of lading to the shipping line/agent at destination in exchange for the good or delivery order, all other bills of lading issued will be considered null and void.

So in your case, all 3 originals have been sent to the bank, but your customer at destination is requesting for an Express Release message for the release of the goods.  As this shipment is covered by an LC and the bill of lading that is issued is a negotiable bill of lading, it is not possible for the shipping line to issue an Express Release for the same. The shipping line has fulfilled its obligation.

Its between the Issuing bank and Confirming bank to discuss between themselves the reasons for the delay in the release of the Original Bills of Lading and arrange for at least one of those originals to be surrendered to the shipping line/agent at destination for the release of the cargo.

Alternatively the bank that is holding up the processing or release of the original bill of lading must issue a bank guarantee to the shipping line/agent at destination for the release of the cargo without production of the original bill of lading.

A bit of a historical background first. Soon after its introduction into the industrialized world as a source of power, steam quickly became a dominant force in both land (locomotives) and sea transport (steamships).

Steamships used the power of steam to travel and steam was generated by feeding coal into the furnaces on board the ship. The storage containers for coal was known as a Bunker.

Yes shipper can ask shipping line to hold the consignment at transhipment port. Shipper may have to pay storage charges, if any, to hold containers at transhipment port.

Demurrage relates to cargo (while the cargo is in the container)

Detention relates to equipment (while the container is empty after unpacking or before packing)