A document acknowledging the shipment of a consignor’s goods for carriage by sea. Bill of lading includes a “through bill of lading”, but does not include a mate’s receipt. [Section 2(4) of the Stamp Act 1899 (Act II of 1899)]

The bill of lading is a document of title to the goods and may as such be transferred to a third party who makes it subject to everything that appears thereon. It is therefore, both transferable and negotia­ble. Usually as between carrier and shipper, the con­tract is contained in the charter party and the bill of lading is not evidence of the contract but only a re­ceipt for the goods and at the same time it is also a document which enables the shipper to transfer the goods to a consignee. Therefore, apart from the re­ceipt, the bill of lading in such case is also a docu­ment of title. [Abu Bakr Siddique vs. M. V. Aghia Thalassini (1978)30 DLR 94.]