A Bill of Lading maybe issued as a House Bill of Lading or a Master Bill of Lading.
A House Bill of Lading (HBL) is issued by an NVOCC operator, or a Freight Forwarder to their customers.
A Master Bill of Lading (MBL) is issued by the Shipping Line (Carrier) to the NVOCC Operator, or Freight Forwarder.
This post describes the main differences between an international freight forwarder and an NVOCC according to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) of the United States. Most of the information in this post is taken from the FMC’s own website.
Ocean Transportation Intermediaries (OTIs) are either Ocean Freight Forwarders or Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carriers and are regulated by the FMC pursuant to the Shipping Act of 1984.