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By March 14, 2019October 1st, 202639,479 Comments

IMB to Tackle Bills of Lading Fraud

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) announced that it has launched a new initiative aiming to mitigate bills of lading (B/L) fraud conducted by non-vessel owning common carriers (NVOCCs).

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News key points: 

1

NVOCC Register - A solution provider

The IMB NVOCC Register provides a business solution to a business problem impacting parties involved in international shipping and trade.
2

B/Ls Key Documents

B/Ls are crucial documents relied upon by many stakeholders in the trading chain including banks, shipping companies, carriers and charterers.
3

IMB checks B/L for its members

While the vast majority of NVOCCs issue B/Ls correctly, there is a small minority that do not.
4

95% false B/Ls

IMB’s says that up to 95 percent of the false B/Ls identified by the Bureau are issued by NVOCCs.
5

An IMB spokesman said

“Incidents of ship owners/carriers or their agents issuing false B/Ls are uncommon because they take a big risk in doing so and open themselves to legal action.
6

However

unlike the carriers or their agents, the majority of NVOCCs do not have any assets which are at risk in these transactions except for their reputations.
7

Fraudulent Practices in B/Ls

This could lead to fraudulent practices, and banks that unwittingly process false B/Ls could discover that either there are no cargoes underlying the documents or that the shipments may be misrepresented.
8

IMB spokesman added

“The NVOCC Register therefore recognises participating NVOCCs who adhere to a minimum standard of anti-fraud measures in their operations,”
9

Inviting NVOCCs

IMB is inviting NVOCCs to sign up to its NVOCC Register. In doing so they will also have to sign up to a Code of Conduct for the issuance of B/Ls. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct may result in removal of the NVOCC from the Register in certain circumstances.
10

The intention behind NVOCC Register

The intention is not to exclude defaulting NVOCCs but to help them improve the steps taken to issue bills of lading which is relied upon by a number of other stakeholders.
11

Advantage to Signup for NVOCC Register

IMB says an advantage of signing up to the Register is that banks may process the documents of NVOCCs on the Register faster than those that are not.

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