Electronic Bills of Ladings A Tool of Expanding the Horizons of International Trade
Abstract
In the modern-day context the world has become a global village where as thecommercial transaction proceedings are regulatory functioned and effectivelymonitored. The International trade developed throughout many centuries and nourishedwith relevant trade customs and practices of the different nationalities of the world. It isa well-known fact that, European nationalities were the pioneersof the commercial seavoyages. Issuing a Bills of Lading (B/L) for the contractual parties is the key customthat has being established and it is the prima facie evidence of each and every contractof affrightment, Electronic Bill of Lading is the latest version, which resolvesthe gaps ofusing manualB/Ls in the international trade. The study emphasizes the pros and cons ofusing E- B/Ls in the international contextwith special reference recent UK statutoryregime on E-bills. This qualitative study concludes with emphasizing the importance ofpracticing E- B/Ls as a commercial trend and recommends some legal solutions for afew technical/practical contexts.
Key words: Bills of Lading, Electronic bills, International trade, Contract ofaffrightment
