What is the difference between a Bill of Lading and a Sea waybill?

Bills of Lading and Sea Waybills: what you need to know about basic ocean cargo documentation

Bills of Lading and Sea Waybills are the two main documents used in the transport of goods by sea, both domestic and abroad. It can be confusing to apply and use these documents correctly; however, each one performs very specific functions.

A Sea Waybill is evidence of a contract of carriage and receipt of the goods being transported; whereas a Bill of Lading acts as the contract of carriage and receipt of the goods, while also serving as a document of title affording ownership.

Below we will discuss some of the key differences between these two documents:

Bill of Lading (B/L)

The international transport of goods by sea is regulated by the Hamburg Rules of 1978, created by UNCITRAL (U.N. Commission on International Trade Law). In order to transport goods by sea, the Hamburg Rules dictate the need to provide information about the transaction in a document called the “Bill of Lading (B/L).”

A B/L can be issued by the carrier, transport agent, shipping company, vessel operator, and even the captain of the ship.