BILL OF LADING

Types of Bill of Lading

Advantages of the multimodal transport bill of lading

Prices of the goods at their final destination can be easier determined, inclusive of transport costs.
A CIF-price can be determined.
Favourable insurance premiums can be assessed for the carriage of the goods and for their stay in the place(s) of transshipment because the conditions of carriage and of transshipment(s) are known in advance.
A multimodal transport eliminates without a doubt unforeseen costs and risks in the places of transshipment which are usually very difficult to control because the charterer (the shipper) seldom has a representative on the spot.
By simple endorsement of the Multidoc, the goods can easily be transferred to a third party.
Banks will easily grant credits for goods carried under a Multidoc because all conditions of carriage as well as the carriers themselves are known.
The conclusion of a multimodal contract can prejudice the national merchant navy, e.g. the rail companies can grant them preferential tariffs for shipping goods through a national harbour and preferably with own national ships which can charge higher freights; in other words, the "Inland Freights" is lowered and the "Ocean freights" are increased. The total transport charges are not higher as if the goods were carried with foreign ships, because the preferential tariffs would then expire, etc.
Fewer documents and formalities are necessary.
Everything is done by services who are familiar with the transshipment and the forwarding of goods.
Possible compensations to be paid by insurers will be collected much quicker, due to the good services of the first carrier or his agency.

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