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Can a bill of lading be amended after the ship has sailed?
When goods are exported, it is required that the information on the customs declaration, manifest and bill of lading are identical, including detailed information such as name and data. Once the ship has sailed, it will be extremely difficult to change any of the information.
There are differences in the confirmation rules of different shipping companies. Some shipping companies set a cut-off time, as long as the bill of lading information can still be changed within the specified time. While some shipping companies require one-time submission of complete information, any modification, even a punctuation change, will incur the cost of bill of lading change.
Therefore, before the shipment of goods, be sure to clarify with the booking forwarder the type of its own, and docking business in accordance with the corresponding rules.
Categorisation of reordering
The cases of reordering mainly include the following:
Spelling error: the spelling error in consignee's name, address or goods description is more common, especially the use of punctuation, such as the English company name ‘LTD’ is easy to omit ‘...’. Quantity/Weight Errors: The quantity/weight of a shipment is often incorrect.
Quantity/Weight Error: The quantity or weight of the goods shipped does not match the actual quantity or weight.
Cargo description error: the information of goods' name, specification, etc. does not match with the actual goods.
Incorrect terms and conditions: Payment terms, transport terms, etc. are inconsistent with the contract.
Change of important information: such as port, consignee information, etc. are requested to be changed in the middle of the journey.
Procedures related to change order
Confirm the type and severity of the error
First of all, it is necessary to clarify which type of error belongs to the above, and assess its severity and whether it will affect the customs clearance and pick-up of goods at the destination. Errors in key information such as name, quantity and consignee information must be corrected.
Contact the relevant parties
If the consignor needs to amend the bill of lading, he can contact the shipping company or agent to explain the situation and apply for correction. If the consignee needs to make corrections, it may also be necessary to seek the assistance of the consignor to deal with matters such as guarantees.
Submission of application for rectification
According to the requirements of the shipping company, submit the application for correction of the bill of lading and the related letter of guarantee. If it involves the change of product name and other key contents, it is also necessary to provide contracts, packing lists, invoices, customs declarations and other supporting materials.
Attention:
B/L correction is charged on a per trip basis, and the charges vary among major shipping companies, usually between RMB 350-500. In addition, for the countries that need to submit ENS or AMS, you need to pay extra charges for customs declaration amendment.
If the goods have already arrived at the port, you also need to consider the stowage fee and overdue container handling fee.
Confirmation of correction result and issuance of new bill of lading: After submitting the correction application, you need to closely follow up the processing progress. After confirming that the information on the bill of lading is correct, the shipping company will usually issue a new bill of lading, or make amendments on the original bill of lading and stamp it with a seal.