Bill of Lading Checklist for African Trade

A bill of lading review starts before the carrier issues the final document. The shipper or its agent supplies shipping instructions, the carrier prepares a draft, and the commercial parties check whether that draft describes the intended cargo and release arrangement. A wrong consignee name, container number, cargo description or port can become much harder to correct after issuance.

Use the AfroTools Bill of Lading Template to organise an internal reference draft. The output is marked as a draft and is not a transport document. This guide explains how to review the information with the carrier, forwarder, customs agent, buyer and bank where applicable. It does not issue cargo title, book freight, submit customs data or authorise release.

1. Separate the working draft from the issued document

Maersk defines shipping instructions as the exporter or agent's cargo, party and transport details that the carrier uses to create the bill of lading. That sequence matters. A shipper can prepare and check the information, but the carrier controls its issued transport document.

Label internal worksheets and AfroTools exports as drafts. Keep the carrier's draft, your review notes and the issued document as separate records. A file that resembles a bill of lading should not circulate without its status because a buyer, colleague or customs agent may otherwise treat the wrong version as authoritative.

Create a simple version trail: shipping instruction submitted, carrier draft received, corrections requested, revised draft approved and final document issued. Save the carrier's acknowledgement for each amendment. Do not silently replace a field in your own copy and assume the carrier's system changed with it.

2. Confirm the document and release route first

Do not choose a document type from habit. Ask the carrier which options are available for the route, then align that choice with the sales contract, payment method, buyer and any bank handling documentary credit. Maersk's current shipping-instruction flow distinguishes a waybill from a bill of lading and exposes release instructions only for the bill-of-lading path.

Maersk's bill-of-lading and sea-waybill comparison says a negotiable bill of lading normally depends on presentation of an original for release, while a sea waybill identifies the consignee and does not require presentation of an original transport document. Its guidance also describes electronic cargo release, often called telex release, as a separate process. These are carrier explanations, not a universal legal rule for every jurisdiction or contract.

Do not infer ownership or release rights from a PDF filename. A certified copy, verify copy, carrier draft and issued original have different functions. Maersk's printing guidance, for example, says its certified true copy carries a watermark so it is not mistaken for an original. Ask the carrier what the available document actually proves.

3. Check the parties character by character

Confirm the shipper, consignee and notify party against the commercial agreement and carrier account details. Maersk's minimum-information guidance lists the shipper's name and address, consignee's name and address, goods description, quantity, transport method and shipment date among the required information. Route-specific instructions may add more.

Use the legal name and complete address supplied through the approved transaction process. Check spelling, company suffixes, country, postal details and tax or registration references where the carrier or destination requires them. Do not copy an old shipment merely because the same buyer appears. A branch address, bank instruction or notify party may differ.

Keep the roles distinct. The notify party receives arrival communication but should not automatically be treated as the consignee or person entitled to control the document. If the consignee wording is to order of a bank or another party, obtain the exact wording from the applicable instruction. AfroTools can display that wording in a draft; it cannot decide whether it is legally or commercially correct.

4. Reconcile the cargo with physical and commercial records

Build the cargo section from the final packing record, not from a quotation prepared before production or loading. Compare the bill-of-lading draft with the commercial invoice, packing list, booking confirmation, container packing record and any certificate that identifies the goods.

Review the following fields together:

• Container and seal numbers, copied from verified loading records.
• Marks and package numbers that can be traced to the physical cargo.
• Package count and type, without mixing pallets, cartons and product units.
• A specific goods description that matches the commercial and customs packet.
• Gross weight and volume with stated units and a clear shipment scope.
• Any carrier-required commodity, dangerous-goods or regulatory details.

A matching description does not mean every document must repeat the same layout. The commercial invoice records value and sale terms. The packing list explains how goods are packed. The bill of lading records transport information. The goal is a reconcilable set, not identical pages.

If a figure changes after loading, identify which underlying record changed and send a documented amendment through the carrier process. Do not repair only the display copy. For cargo subject to weight, safety, inspection or commodity rules, follow the responsible authority and carrier procedure rather than treating this checklist as technical approval.

5. Verify the route, movement and dates

Check the place of receipt, port of loading, port of discharge and final place of delivery as separate fields. They may be the same in a simple port-to-port movement, but they need not be. Compare them with the booking confirmation and the carrier's transport plan instead of relying on a route remembered from a quotation.

Check vessel and voyage details against the current carrier draft. A schedule change should not be corrected from a public vessel tracker without confirmation from the document issuer. Review the shipment or on-board date only when the carrier has provided the relevant status. If a bank or sales contract sets a latest shipment date, the responsible parties must compare the issued wording with that requirement.

Record freight-prepaid or freight-collect wording exactly as agreed and accepted by the carrier. Do not derive it from an Incoterm alone. Incoterms allocate defined costs and risks between seller and buyer, but the carrier's billing and document instructions still need explicit confirmation.

6. Apply the current country handoff

Country procedures can add document references or timing requirements to a carrier draft. For containerised cargo destined for Kenyan ports, KRA's July 14, 2026 Advance Cargo Declaration notice says the platform launched on August 3, 2026. It requires the exporter to upload a draft bill of lading, commercial invoice, freight invoice and export declaration, then have the approved ACD reference code endorsed on the bill of lading before shipment proceeds to a Kenyan port.

That is a dated Kenya requirement for the stated containerised-cargo scope. Check the official KRA ACD platform for current guidance and exceptions. Do not reuse an ACD reference from another consignment or add an unapproved number to make a draft appear complete.

KRA's wider importing and exporting guidance lists a bill of lading for sea cargo among the documents an importer may provide to a licensed clearing agent. The same packet can include invoices, origin documents, permits, purchase records and a packing list. The bill of lading is therefore one controlled record in the clearance file, not a replacement for that file.

For Ghana imports, Ghana Revenue Authority's import procedure lists an original waybill or bill of lading, attested invoice, packing list, Import Declaration Form, taxpayer identification and applicable permits among the documents needed before or at arrival. It places the customs declaration in ICUMS through a clearing agent. Confirm the current original-document and release process with the carrier and agent before cargo arrives.

7. Treat electronic records as a governed choice

An electronic file is not automatically an electronic transferable record. UNCITRAL's Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records describes functional equivalence in terms of required information, reliable identification, control and integrity. It is a model for legislation, not proof that every country, carrier, bank or counterparty accepts every digital platform.

FIATA announced its Practical Guide to the Electronic FIATA Multimodal Bill of Lading on April 1, 2026. The guide concerns FIATA's secured eFBL framework. It does not convert an ordinary emailed PDF or AfroTools draft into an eFBL.

Before choosing an electronic route, confirm the governing law, carrier platform, forwarder's authority, bank acceptance, destination process and how control will be transferred. Record what happens if a platform is unavailable or a counterparty cannot receive the electronic record. Keep access credentials and commercial documents out of shared devices or uncontrolled message threads.

8. Use the AfroTools draft as a review sheet

The current AfroTools tool lets you enter a bill type, parties, transport route, cargo rows, freight details, originals and dates. It creates a watermarked preview and offers print/PDF, copy and text-download actions. The page states that the result has no legal standing and only the carrier, shipping line or authorised agent can issue the real bill of lading.

Enter only verified working information. Leave a field unresolved rather than inventing a vessel, date, container number or release instruction. Reopen the exported text or PDF and check that the draft status remains visible, long names are readable and cargo rows have not been clipped. A successful download proves file creation, not acceptance by a carrier or authority.

Keep shipment names, addresses, phone numbers, values, container references and routing details private. The tool is for local preparation. Share an export only through the approved commercial channel and only with the intended recipient. Do not paste a live document into an AI service or public chat without explicit authority and an understood data policy.

Final approval checklist

• The carrier has confirmed the document type and available release method.
• Shipper, consignee and notify-party details match approved instructions.
• Container, seal, marks, packages, description, weight and volume reconcile with final cargo records.
• Ports, places, vessel, voyage and dates match the carrier's current transport information.
• Invoice, packing list, origin, permit and customs references are consistent.
• Kenya ACD or another country-specific reference is included only after official approval.
• Every correction was sent through the carrier process and acknowledged.
• The issued document was compared with the approved draft before release or bank presentation.

Return to the Bill of Lading Template when a verified change requires a new internal draft. Then use the Export Documentation Checklist to review the wider country packet. Keep drafting, carrier issuance, customs clearance, bank review and cargo release as distinct approvals.