Logistics
A B/L that can be transferred by endorsement, allowing the holder to claim the goods at destination.
English law does not define negotiability in the abstract so much as draw the line where it has to, and section 1 of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992 draws it precisely. The Act applies to “any bill of lading”, “any sea waybill” and “any ship’s delivery order” — and then excludes from “bill of lading” any “document which is incapable of transfer either by indorsement or, as a bearer bill, by delivery without indorsement”. That is the test. A straight bill, consigned to a named party and not transferable by indorsement or delivery, is not a bill of lading for the Act’s purposes however it is headed; it falls to be treated as a sea waybill. A “received for shipment” bill, by contrast, is expressly included. Since the Act governs who may sue on the contract of carriage, that classification decides who has rights against the carrier — which is why the label on the document is worth far less than its transfer mechanics.
What this source settles. Where a statute or a directive is quoted, that instrument governs within its own jurisdiction and its later amendments prevail over any summary. Where a body describes itself, the page is authoritative for what the body is and does, and not for how well it does it. Where a case study is cited, it records one dispute at one time and is evidence of the problem rather than of the current legal position.
From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).
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