Cognizance of the contents of Switch Bill of Lading

What can and cannot be changed in a Switch Bill of Lading (B/L)?

It is critical that the contents of the Switch B/L correspond to those of the original document. Assuming that a ‘Triangular Trade’ involves numerous transactions, a switch B/L must be constructed for each succeeding shipment. The shipper, consignee, and notify information, which is normally printed in Part 1 of the B/L, may be the only safe region in the Switch B/L that can be modified.

Additional elements/information specified below may be amended if the new information is genuine and proper and does not impair carriage and delivery, according to TT Club.

The goods' description provided by the shipper. Changes to the shipment description may be made, but only with the cargo owner's express permission and only to specific information such as the cargo's condition, payment conditions, loading location and date, Incoterms, and so on.

Consider the difference between "books" and "financial books."

1. The ship's name is (if necessary)
2. The issue's location and date (if not the same as those of shipment)
3. The freight and the discharge port
4. The shipper's, notification party's, or consignee's identity

Regardless of the aforementioned circumstances, all other details in the two agreements must be identical. This contains the discharge and loading ports, as well as the number of articles and their total shipment weight.

?Changes to the following details should never be permitted:

1. Shipping location and date, as these may alter delivery terms based on the sales contract.
2. Cargo information, such as the number of packages, their dimensions, weight, and dimensions.
3. Information on hazardous cargo, if applicable.
4. Refer to cargo data such as temperature and humidity conditions, among other things.
5. If there is any OOG (Out of Gauge or Oversized) cargo information, it will be noted.
6. None of the B/original L's clauses apply.

The necessity of clearly identifying the shipper on a bill, whether it be a waybill or a bill of lading, cannot be overstated. If this is unclear, issues are likely to arise if the shipper asks the carrier to reroute delivery or issue replacement bills. This emphasizes the significance of determining who is authorized to seek Switch Bills of Ladings.

Before a fresh set of bills is issued, the carrier should guarantee that all original bills from the first set are relinquished. If a request to modify any details in the bills is made, professional counsel should be sought before proceeding.

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