LC Practice Insight: “Any Port in Vietnam” & Understanding ISBP 821 B2(e)(i)

Alfred recently raised two excellent questions on port flexibility in LCs and the meaning of multiple on-board dates under ISBP.

Here is a quick breakdown for practitioners:

1. “Any port in Vietnam” — one port or multiple?

When an LC states “shipment from any port in Vietnam”, the BL must show one specific port of loading (e.g., Hai Phong Port).

It does not mean shipment from several ports.

Multiple ports of loading are allowed only if the LC expressly permits them, e.g.:

Port of loading: Hai Phong / Cai Lan / Cam Pha

Under ISBP 821 A2(a-b), the BL may then show:

• any one of these ports, or
• any combination of them.

The flexibility depends entirely on the wording of the LC.

2. ISBP 821 B2(e)(i): What if the BL shows unloading & reloading?

When a BL shows the goods were unloaded and reloaded within a permitted geographical range, it may contain multiple dated on-board notations.

For maturity calculation:

Use the earliest on-board date within the permitted area.

Example (from ISBP):

• Vessel A, Dublin – 14 May
• Vessel B, Rotterdam – 16 May

=> Draft must be drawn 60 days after 14 May.

For compliance under UCP 600 Article 20:

Only the vessel named in the on-board notation matters.

Other vessel names = pre-carriage or transshipment info → they do not affect compliance.

Bottom line

• Compliance = vessel in the on-board notation
• Maturity (when multiple on-board dates appear) = earliest date within permitted ports
• Multiple loading ports? → Only if the LC explicitly allows it.

Best regards,

Mr. Old Man