Master Bill of lading

A Bill of Lading can also be issued in the form of a House Bill of Lading or a Master Bill of Lading.

• 1. A House Bill of Lading (HBL) is generally issued by the associated Freight Forwarder to the exporter or customers.
• 2. A Master Bill of Lading (MBL) is generally issued by the Shipping Line (Carrier) to the Freight Forwarder.

When house bill of lading is issued for an FCL shipment (full container load and non-groupage), then it has to be issued on a back to back basis along with a master bill of lading. This means the house bill of lading should be an exact replica of the master bill of lading which is issued by the actual Shipping line and enlists all details except certain points the shipper, consignee and notify party details which are usually different in the house bill of lading and master bill of lading.

In the Master bill of lading

• ● Usually the Shipper is an NVOCC operator or can be their agent or any freight forwarder hired by exporter generally, the shipper is the actual shipper or exporter of the consignment
• ● Generally, the Consignee is the destination agent or counterpart or NVOCC operator’s office, or the Freight Forwarder
• ● the Notify and Consignee can be same or can be any other party.

Master Bill of Lading

The Master Bill of Lading is also known to be an Ocean or Carrier Bill of Lading. Master B/L is generally issued to the NVOCC by the shipping line and the shipper in this is the NVOCC or their corresponding agents. Whereas, the consignee can be the NVOCC operator, or their destination agents or associated counterparts. And the notify party can be same i.ie the mentioned consignee or some other involved party.

How it works:As soon as the shipment is received by the NVOCC from the shipper, then re-booking of the exact same cargo along with shipping carriers is carried out. Once the confirmation of receival of cargo is done by the carrier, release of the Master Bill of Lading is done to the booking entity. In this case, it would be the NVOCC.

Similarities and Differences Between HBL and MBL

House Bill of Lading and Master Bill of Lading are quite similar in terms of the information they include and the purpose or function carried out by them. In other words, both are a type of Bill of Lading (BOL) which are usually responsible for serving in the form of a receipt, contract of carriage, and title for the products being shipped. The difference between the two deals with the involved parties towards which the Bill is intended for.

All information enlisted over an HBL such as voyage, cargo descriptions, number of containers, seal numbers, weight, and measurements also reflect this specific information on the MBL verbatim. While the House bill of lading work between the genuine shipper and receiver of the products, and the Master bill of lading is meant for the local as well as foreign freight forwarders who are responsible for assisting the transaction, the role of the Bill of lading remains the same and thus, the intellectual information provided within both Bills must be completely reflective of each other.