Bills of Lading Online Seminar

Dates:

07, 09, 14 & 16 December 2026

Duration:

4 Sessions

Hours:

19:30 – 21:30 (GMT +2)

Fees:

400 EUR

(Including tuition fees & reading material)

ICS Members are eligible to a discount 20% on all HMC Professional Maritime Seminars

Bills of Lading are central to international shipping, serving important contractual, commercial and documentary functions. This practical programme examines the Bill of Lading, from issuance and transfer to cargo delivery, liability and claims, and explains the legal risks that arise in everyday maritime operations.

SPECIFIC AREAS COVERED

SESSION 1 | Legal Nature and Functions of Bills of Lading
• The three traditional functions: receipt for goods, evidence of a carriage contract, and document of title
• Types of Bills of Lading, identification of the contractual carrier, and comparison with sea waybills
• The relationship between Bills of Lading and charterparties

SESSION 2 | Issuance, Transfer and Delivery of Cargo
• Authority to issue and sign; statements concerning cargo quantity and apparent condition
• Clean and claused Bills of Lading; endorsement, transfer and rights of lawful holders
• Delivery without original Bills, letters of indemnity (LOIs), misdelivery and fraudulent documents
• Allocation of risks and liabilities among owners, charterers and carriers

SESSION 3 | Carrier’s Obligations, Cargo Liability and Claims
• Hague and Hague – Visby Rules; seaworthiness and cargo care obligations
• Exceptions and defences, limitation of liability and time bars
• Cargo shortages, contamination, damage and documentary discrepancies
• Investigation, evidence gathering and practical handling of cargo claims

SESSION 4 | Advanced Legal Issues and Contemporary Developments
• Charterparty terms incorporated into Bills of Lading; jurisdiction and arbitration clauses
• Documentary fraud and associated risk management
• Electronic Bills of Lading and the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023
• Practical claims-management guidance and a comprehensive case-study exercise

Download a Brochure

Apply for the Seminar here

IDEAL FOR

• Shipowners, ship managers, ship operators and charterers
• Chartering, post-fixture, operations and commercial personnel
• Claims handlers, demurrage teams, maritime lawyers and legal advisers
• Marine insurers, P&I professionals, commodity traders and shipping documentation teams

Tutors

Georgia Botsiou
Legal Director and Insurance Manager, Shipping Company

With a career spanning over two decades in the maritime industry, Georgia Botsiou has established herself as a distinguished expert in maritime law, insurance management, and claims handling.

Throughout her tenure in shipping companies in the period 1998 to 2011, Ms. Botsiou managed a broad spectrum of legal and insurance-related tasks. Her responsibilities encompassed the oversight of documentation for Loan Agreements, Charters, Fleet Insurances, and P&I Clubs. Since 2011, Ms Botsiou has been the Legal Director and Insurance Manager in a group of shipping companies, managing a fleet of bulk carriers and chemical tankers. She has been responsible for all legal-related aspects of the group, successfully handling a wide range of claims, disputes, arbitrations, and litigations, extending to ship financing, new building contracts, ship registration, and insurance, among other areas.

She holds a B.Sc in Italian Language and Literature from Aristotetle University of Thessaloniki. Her pursuit of specialized knowledge led her to the University of Florence for postgraduate studies in Sociolinguistics. She further advanced her expertise at London Metropolitan University, earning a Master in Shipping Business, a Postgraduate Diploma in Maritime Law, and an LLM in Maritime Law. Completing her formal education, Ms Botsiou followed a Legal Practice Course with LLM in International Business from the University of Law, London, enriching her in Corporate Law, International Contracts, and Commercial Dispute Resolution. She teaches Maritime Law and Insurance at HMC/ICS Greek Branch.