Replying to [Munnu]:
A bill of lading has been defined as a receipt for goods shipped on board a vessel, signed by the person (or his agent) who contracts to carry them and stating the conditions in which the goods were delivered to the ship. It is used to control delivery of goods transported by sea and, in negotiable form, it is title to the goods which is realized by transfer and endorsement.
Ocean B/L by its name covers only Port to Port carriage which is contrary to Through B/L that covers two or more carriers getting the goods to their final destination. The onwards carriage may be by a different form of transport such as rail.
A document that is often mixed up with Ocean B/L is Master B/L. Master b/l is issued only by liner operators which either cover a single carriage or two or more cariages. Forwarder B/L is contrary to Master B/L, which is issued by NVOCCs or freight forwarders.
There are some risks with Forwarder B/L. First, shippers may lose their control over the release of their shipments at destination. Consignee have to go to the forwarder 's agent to switch the Master B/L. this will cost some money, say USD50. To be worse, if you come across some illegal forwarders, you may lose your shipments. So be careful with Forwarders. In China, only those forwarders who are bonded with the Ministry of Communication can issue Bills of Lading. If you are not sure if the forwarder is bonded or not bonded, please visit the websit of the Ministry of Communication where you will find the list of boned freight forwarders.