Saturday, April 10, 2010

What does 'CLEAN BILL OF LADING' mean ?

The carrier will issue a Clean Bill of Lading after thoroughly inspecting the packages for any damage, missing quantities or deviation in the quality.In a clean bill of lading, the carrier is declaring that the goods have been received in an appropriate condition, without any defects. Often, a clean bill of lading is issued to fulfill the requirements of letters of credit. Many purchasers rely on letters of credit to pay for imports and banks may refuse to supply the funds if a 'claused bill of lading' is presented. A 'claused , dirty ,unclean or foul ' bill of lading is issued when the received product is damaged or does not meet specifications.
In the present scenario, carriers will not (should not) issue Clean B/L as the carriers do not have any control on cargo stuffing. The stuffing happens in the customers premises or in a CFS and the responsibility of the liner starts only when the containers gated inside the port yard. The cargo and the quality / condition of it is purely the shippers' responsibility. In the B/L it would be shown as "Shippers' stow and count".