The bill of lading (B/L) usually contains:
- The name of the seller at origin (the shipper); the name of the buyer (the consignee); and, specified by the buyer, the
name of the party to whom delivery is to be made and who is to be notified of
the arrival of the shipment (the notify
address).
- The bill of ladings unique number, the name of the
vessel, the port of loading, the destination, and the nu mber of originals that
have been issued.
- Details of the cargo and whether shipped LCL/LCL
or FCL/FCL, together with the container and seal numbers, where shipment is in
containers.
- A statement that the coffee is on board or shipped, i.e. not simply received by the shipping
company for shipment, and that there is no record of damage to the coffee (a clean B/L), and the date of onboard shipment. A
received for shipment LCL B/L may be acceptable if this has previously been
agreed by the buyer.
Bills of lading are issued in sets of identical
originals, normally two or three, with a variable number of non-negotiable
copies for record purposes only. Each original can be used independently to
claim the coffee shipped, although not everyone holding an original bill of
lading will automatically be handed the goods by the shipping company at
destination. Who is allowed to claim the goods depends on how the bills are made
out.