7.1.4.7 Stale bill of lading & telex/email-rel...
♦Stale bill of lading过期提单
When you and the importer are in neighboring or nearby countries,due to the short distance between the countries and inefficiency intransmitting the B/L,a possibility exists that the cargo reaches the destination before the B/L does,or the B/L is presented for negotiation beyond a reasonable period of time.In such cases,the B/L becomes stale,hence the name—stale bill of lading.In the first case scenario,there is possibility that you might not get paid on time or not get paid at all.In the second,the importer cannot take delivery of the goods on time,has to pay additional fees or charges such as demurrage and warehousing fees,and may suffer losses caused by the fluctuation of the merchandise’s price.To prevent these adverse situations,you’d better take precautions to prevent a B/L from becoming stale.
♦Telex/email-released bill of lading电放提单
When a B/L is expected to be “stale”,one of the solutions is filing an application to the carrier for a telex or email release of the B/L,which allows the consignee to take delivery of the merchandise without presenting an original B/L but a copy of the original instead.However,as this poses great risk for the carrier,it often requires a letter of indemnity from you in order to exempt itself from liabilities should the cargo be released not to the proper party.Then it shall keep the full set of original B/Ls with itself or its agent,and send a message to its agent at the port of destination via telex or email,permitting the consignee to take delivery of the goods with a copy of the original B/L.