SEAMANSHIP 3

TOPIC 6 – Cargo Document

 Cargo Document

A. Cargo/Stowage Plan
A plan showing the distribution of
all cargo parcels stored on board of a
vessel for a voyage and each entry on
the plan details the quantity, weight
and port of loading/discharge.
 Stowage Plan
The following is generally appear in most cargo/
stowage:
1. Name of the vessel.
2. Name of the Master.
3. List of loading ports.
4. List of discharging ports, in order of call.
5. Sailing draughts.
6. Tonnage load breakdown.
7. Hatch tonnage breakdown.
 Stowage Plan
The following is generally appear in most cargo/
stowage:
8. Voyage number.
9. Total volume of empty space remaining.
10. List of dangerous cargo, if any.
11. List of special cargo, if any.
12. Statement of deadweight, fuel, stores, water etc.
13. Details of cargo separations.
14. Recommended temperatures for the carriage of
various goods.
15. Chief officer’s signature.
 Stowage Plan
The following points should be taken into account:
1. cargo information, including gross mass of the cargo
or cargo units and any special properties detailed on
board or in the shipping documents, should be
recorded and used in planning;

2. wherever practicable, where more than one port is

involved for loading or unloading, cargo should be
loaded in layers rather than in tiers, so as to avoid
the development of high vertical walls of cargo;
 Stowage Plan
The following points should be taken into account:

3. care should be taken not to overstow lighter cargoes with

heavier cargoes which may lead to a collapse of the stow;

4. wherever practicable, cargo should be stowed so as to leave

safe clearance behind the rungs of hold ladders and to allow
safe access as may be necessary at sea;

5. the need to walk across or climb onto deck cargo, where this
may involve an approach to an unprotected edge with risk of
falling, should be minimized;

6. care should be taken to avoid large gaps next to cargo where

it is stacked against corrugated bulkheads.
 Stowage Plan
Importance of stowage plan:
1. Minimize cargo handling time

2. No danger to personnel

3. Proper stowage of cargo, less broken stowage

4. Minimize port stay

5. Proper segregation
 Segregation and Separation of Cargoes
Cargoes need to be Separated:
dry cargo
wet cargo
clean cargo
dirty cargo
delicate cargo
valuable cargo, e.g. bank notes, personal effects
The separation between parcels of cargo for different
consignees or different ports of discharge is required.
 Segregation and Separation of Cargoes
Dangerous Goods
Dangerous goods segregation shall be verified for compliance
with requirements of the IMDG code. Caution must be
exercised when using vessels stowage planning software for
this purpose as it may or may not have comprehensive means
of checking for bad stowage & segregation against the latest
international requirements. It is advisable to manually check
for compliance.
 Cargo Document
B. Mate Receipt
1. is the receipt signed by the
mate for cargo that is
loaded onboard
2. It contains details of the
goods to be shipped and
should be available to the
mate before loading starts
3. It can be used as a pre-
advice, to plan stowage of
cargo
 Cargo Document
C. Mate Receipt
4. Any defects, short comings
or other comments must
be reflected on the
mates receipt
5. Once the mate signs the
Mate's receipt, it is given to
the shipper who tenders them
to the agent or ship owner in
exchange for the Bill of
Lading.
 Cargo Document
C. Bill of Lading
1. It is a document of title of the
cargo
2. The holder of the bill of lading
is the owner of the cargo
3. It is negotiable or non-
negotiable document
4. It is prepared by the agent
on behalf of the vessel
5. The bill of lading needs to be
signed by the Master
 Bills of Lading
Negotiable bill of lading
In this type of bill, a clear instruction is provided to make the
delivery of the goods to anyone having the possession of the original
copy of the bill, which itself signifies the title and control of the
freight.

Non-Negotiable bill of lading

This type of bill of lading fixes a specific consignee/name of the
receiver to whom the freights will be shipped and delivered.
 Bill of Lading
A negotiable bill of lading has the following legal qualities:

1. It acts as a piece of evidence for the carriage contract containing the

terms and condition under which the goods transportation will be
carried out
2. It represents as a receipt which endorses that the carrier has received
the cargo as per the contract and the goods are received in good
condition.
3. It is a document of title, permitting the sale of goods in transit and the
raising of financial credit.
4. Most of the local and international system does not consider a bill of
lading as a document of title. It provides the right for the delivery to be
made to the possessor
 Types of Bills of Lading
1. Straight bill of lading - reveals that the goods are consigned to a
specified person and it is not negotiable free from existing equities.
2. Open bill of lading – This is a negotiable bill of lading where the
name of Consignee can be changed with consignees’ signature and
thus transferred.
3. Bearer bill of lading - is a bill states that delivery shall be made
to whosoever holds the bill.
4. Order bill of lading - is the bill uses express words to make the
bill and is the most modern type bill which is widely used all over
the world.
 The Importance of Bills of Lading
is a very important issue when making
shipments to move the cargo or freight from
one point to the other. On one hand it is a
contract between a carrier and shipper for the
transportation of goods and on the other hand,
it serves as a receipt issued by a carrier to the
shipper.
 Cargo Document
D. Boat Note
1. It is similar to
a Mate's receipt
2. It is a receipt of the goods
received by the ship from the
sea side by boat/barge
3. is a document issued by
Port Authorities on the basis
of Export Application and
after ascertaining that
Customs duties are paid
under Shipping Bill and after
payment of Port dues.