Received for shipment bill of lading. This is a bill of lading issued by the carrier before the goods have been loaded.
Under Art. III, r. 3, the carrier must issue a bill of lading with certain information when the goods are received into his charge. This may occur when the goods are received by the carrier at the dock. However, the Hague-Visby Rules do not apply to this because they apply between loading and discharging, that is, from “tackle to tackle”. This bill of lading can be converted into “shipped bill of lading” by exchange or indorsement of the name of the ship and the date on which the goods were actually loaded on board (Art. III, r. 7). A received for shipment bill of lading may sometimes be called a “custody bill of lading”, indicating that although the Hague-Visby Rules may not apply to it, the carrier is responsible for its custody and care.
The Hamburg Rules apply when the carrier takes the goods into his charge until the delivery port. The Rules will therefore apply to bills of lading before the goods are shipped.
