Electronic bill of lading to have same effect as paper version
The transport of goods by sea involves the use of what is referred to as a bill of lading. This bill of lading is a negotiable instrument issued by the carrier. An electronic version of such a document is increasingly being used in practice in international transport. State Secretary for Legal Protection Teun Struycken and Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management Barry Madlener submitted a legislative proposal to the House of Representatives that clarifies the situations in which this electronic variant has the same legal effect as a paper bill of lading.
In the bill of lading, the carrier declares that it has taken delivery of certain goods, that it will transport these to a certain location, and states the conditions under which the transport will take place. The bill of lading also indicates who is entitled to demand delivery of the goods from the carrier. It emerged in practice that there was a need for a regulation clarifying whether and under what circumstances an electronic bill of lading is equivalent to a paper version. This is because an electronic bill of lading cannot be physically issued by the carrier to the shipper.
The legislative proposal submitted provides the sector with the desired clarity in cases where an electronic bill of lading is used. Book 8 of the Dutch Civil Code is being amended to this end. All the parties involved in the transportation of goods have an interest in this, including shippers, shipowners, carriers and banks. The clarity provided on the electronic bill of lading contributes to the digitalisation of transport information in the logistics sector as well as to making the Dutch Civil Code future-proof and technology-neutral.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2025/05/14/electronic-bill-of-lading-to-have-same-effect-as-paper-version
