Do Bills of Lading Need to Be Numbered 1/3, 2/3, 3/3 and Show Total Weight?

In practice, banks sometimes raise discrepancies on bills of lading based on expectations that are not actually required under UCP 600 or ISBP 821. Two common issues are the numbering of original bills of lading and the indication of total weight.

A reader recently asked the following:

Question

Dear Mr. Old Man,

A credit requires presentation of 3/3 original bills of lading plus one non-negotiable copy.

The bill of lading presented:

• indicates “Number of Originals: THREE (3)”,
• all pages are marked “ORIGINAL”,
• no numbering such as 1/3, 2/3, 3/3 is shown,
• and it indicates only itemized (not total) weight.

The bank raised discrepancies:

1. Bill of lading does not indicate “First, Second and Third Original” nor show numbering such as 1/3, 2/3, 3/3, therefore a full set of originals is not evidenced.
2. No total gross/net weight shown

Are these discrepancies valid?

Best regards,
Arun Ambar

________

Answer

Dear Arun,

Thank you for your practical question.

1. Numbering of originals

There is no requirement under UCP 600 or ISBP 821 for a bill of lading to indicate “first, second and third original” or to be numbered 1/3, 2/3, 3/3.

What matters is that the bill of lading:

• indicates the number of originals issued, and
• the documents presented appear to constitute the full set.

In your case, the indication “THREE (3)” originals, together with all presented documents marked “ORIGINAL”, is sufficient to evidence a full set.

Therefore, this discrepancy is not justified.

2. Gross and net weight

UCP 600 and ISBP 821 do not require a bill of lading to indicate total gross or net weight unless such a requirement is expressly stated in the credit.

In the absence of such a requirement, the fact that only itemized or partial weights are shown does not constitute a discrepancy.

Conclusion

Based on the information provided, the discrepancies raised do not appear to be valid grounds for refusal.

Best regards,
Mr. Old Man