Recommendation No. 12

Measures to Facilitate Maritime Transport Documents Procedures

Author/Source: UNECE through its Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT)

Year of adopting/publication: 1979 (first version), last approved revision 2011 . The recommendation is currently under revision.
Document reference: ECE/TRADE/240

Link to the document on the internet: Recommendation No. 12

Purpose: The aim of this Recommendation is to simplify, rationalize and harmonize the procedures and documents used to evidence the contract of carriage in maritime transport. It encourages the use of sea waybills or other non- negotiable transport documents instead of negotiable transport documents, such as bills of lading. This should facilitate the introduction of electronic data interchange.

Summary: The recommendation and its guidelines apply to consignment-based documents evidencing the contract or undertaking to carry goods by vessel, and to the related trade and administration procedures. It also applies to multimodal transport, as appropriate. It does not apply to charter parties but can be applied to bills of lading and similar maritime transport documents established under charter parties.