Bill of Lading (BOL)

Opening a Bill of Lading Shipment

Go to Bill of Lading or open a shipment with the shipment type Bill of Lading.

The upper table shows the existing BOL shipments. Select a shipment from the table to view or edit the details in the lower area.

You can use the column filters, table settings, and filter settings to search for specific shipments, for example by shipment number, HBL, customer, sender, receiver, pickup location, delivery location, date, status, or other columns.

Shipment Header

The shipment header contains the general order information.

Here you maintain the customer, customer reference, contact information, shipment type, Incoterms, contact person, additional references, description, and general shipment flags.

Important options include:

• Back-to-back: Marks the shipment as a back-to-back shipment.
• House only: Can be used if only a house B/L is relevant.
• Letter of Credit: Can be used if the shipment is related to a letter of credit.

The header information is important because it controls the general shipment context and is also used in later documents and overviews.

Bill of Lading Details

The Bill of Lading section contains the main BOL numbers and document information.

• Master Bill of Lading #: Number of the Master Bill of Lading, if available.
• House Bill of Lading #: Number of the House Bill of Lading.
• No. of Original B/L: Number of original Bills of Lading.

These fields are used for identifying the BOL document and should be checked carefully before printing or sending documents.

Parties

The party sections define which companies are shown on the Bill of Lading document.

The most important parties are:

• Shipper: The party shipping the goods.
• Consignee: The party receiving the goods.
• Notify Party: The party that should be notified.
• Agent: The agent involved in the shipment, if applicable.
• Notify Party 2: Additional notify party, if required.

Use the plus button if you need to add or maintain additional address details for a party.

The parties should be checked carefully, because they are printed on the BOL documents.

Carrier Legs / Transshipments

Carrier legs describe the sea transport route of the BOL shipment. Each leg represents one carrier booking, vessel movement, feeder movement, or transshipment.

Typical leg types are:

• Main: Main ocean leg.
• Feeder: Feeder service before or after the main vessel movement.
• Transshipment: Intermediate vessel or carrier change.
• Other: Special cases.

For each carrier leg, maintain the relevant transport data such as carrier, SCAC, booking reference number, vessel, voyage number, status, ports, dates, and remarks.

Important fields include:

• Carrier: Shipping line or carrier for the leg.
• SCAC: Carrier code.
• Booking Reference Number: Booking reference from the carrier.
• Vessel: Vessel name.
• Voyage Number: Voyage number of the vessel.
• POL Code / POL Name: Port of Loading for this leg.
• POD Code / POD Name: Port of Discharge for this leg.
• T/S Code / T/S Name: Transshipment port, if the cargo changes vessel or carrier at an intermediate port.
• ETS: Estimated time of sailing or departure.
• ETA: Estimated time of arrival.
• Closing Date: Latest date or time for cargo or document closing.

Carrier legs should usually be entered in the same order as the actual transport route.

Route

The route section describes the overall BOL route.

Here you can maintain the place of receipt, port of loading, port of discharge, place of delivery, vessel, type of move, and freight payable location.

Important fields include:

• Place of Receipt Name: Location where the carrier receives the goods.
• Port of Loading Name: Port where the goods are loaded onto the vessel.
• Port of Discharge Name: Port where the goods are discharged from the vessel.
• Place of Delivery Name: Final delivery location according to the BOL.
• Vessel: Vessel name.
• Type of Move: Transport type, for example FCL/FCL.
• Freight Payable At: Place where freight is payable, if required.

If UN/LOCODEs are used, select the correct code from the drop-down and check that the displayed location name is correct.

Document Details

The document details contain additional BOL document information.

Important fields and options include:

• Place of Issue: Place where the BOL is issued.
• Date of Issue: Date when the BOL is issued.
• ETD: Estimated time of departure.
• ETA: Estimated time of arrival.
• MRN: Movement Reference Number, if relevant.
• MRN Storage: Additional MRN-related storage information, if required.
• Pre Paper Type: Type of preliminary document, for example Sea Waybill.
• Containerized: Activate this option if the shipment is containerized.
• Surrendered: Activate this option if the BOL is surrendered.
• Prepaid: Activate this option if freight is prepaid.
• Letter of Credit: Activate this option if the shipment is related to a letter of credit.

Pickup, Stopover, and Delivery Locations

The pickup, stopover, and delivery sections define the operational addresses and dates for the shipment.

• Pickup Location: Location where the goods are picked up or received.
• Stopover Address: Optional intermediate stop.
• Delivery Location: Final delivery location.

Use the date and time fields to maintain the planned pickup and delivery time windows.

Containers

The container section is used to maintain container information.

Important fields include:

• Container Type: Type of container.
• Container No.: Container number.
• Seal Number: Seal number.
• Empty: Marks the container as empty, if applicable.
• Return Depot: Depot where the empty container should be returned.

Use the plus button to add additional container lines.

Goods

The goods section describes the cargo.

Important fields include:

• Goods Name: Description of the goods.
• Reference: Additional reference, package type, or description.
• Container: Container assigned to the goods line.
• Unit: Unit or package type.
• Pieces: Number of packages or pieces.
• Weight: Weight of the goods.

Use the goods section to maintain the cargo information that should be visible in the shipment and on relevant documents.

Services

The service section contains the commercial services, charges, and costs related to the shipment.

Important fields include:

• Service: Selected service, for example ocean freight or waiting time.
• Invoice Receiver: Company that should receive the invoice for this service.
• Subcontractor: Subcontractor related to the service, if applicable.
• Quantity: Quantity used for calculation.
• Price: Sales price.
• Total Net: Net amount.
• Cost: Internal cost.
• Currency: Currency for price or cost.
• Prepaid: Marks the service as prepaid, if applicable.
• No Print: Prevents the service from being printed, if applicable.

Services are used for pricing, invoicing, and cost tracking. Check the service lines before creating invoices or documents.

Surcharges

The surcharge section can be used to add additional surcharges to the shipment.

Depending on the setup, surcharges can be calculated based on price, percentage, minimum amount, or maximum amount.

Printing and Sending BOL Documents

Before printing or sending BOL documents, check the following information carefully:

• BOL numbers
• Shipper, Consignee, Notify Party, and Agent
• Carrier, vessel, voyage, booking reference, and SCAC
• POL, POD, transshipment ports, and route
• ETS, ETA, closing date, issue date, and place of issue
• Container numbers and seal numbers
• Goods description, pieces, units, and weight
• Services and charges

Use the Print and Email functions in the toolbar to generate or send the relevant documents.

Tip

Enter the carrier legs in the same order as the actual transport route.

Before printing or sending BOL documents, compare the vessel, voyage, port, booking reference, container, seal, and party information with the carrier booking confirmation or the original shipping instructions.