The Waybill and the bill of lading are both vital instruments in undertaking global trade. These are the only documents that permit one to get involved in maritime transport both locally and globally. Often, people get confused about the functions between the two documents as each serves to accomplish unique purposes. 

The key contrast between the two is that the waybill shows proof the consignee is in contract with the shipper to transport goods to a specific destination while the bill of lading indicates title. The Sea Waybill only serves as evidence hence the carrier is permitted to deliver the goods to the individual mentioned in the document.

The primary features of the bill of lading are; the transport company or the ship’s captain are the ones with the responsibility of giving out the bill of lading. It acts as a reciept for the cargo being transported on the ship as well as indicates the state of its condition. It also represents evidence of a transport contract. The ownership of the shipped goods is assumed to be the holder of the bill of lading who is responsible for receiving the cargo at the destination port.

On the other hand, a sea waybill replaces the bill of lading if a representative title of the cargo being shipped is not required as well as the right to dispose them does not necessarily need to be included. Various unique features of the document include; it is applied if the shipper decides to transfer control of the goods urgently. It hence allows the merchandise to be received by the entity mentioned in the document without necessarily having them hand out a document to claim the goods.

 Also, as goods are on transit, the shipper or sender acquires the sea waybill for reference purposes only. In such a scenario, neither the shipper nor the receiver is required to submit any additional documents to the carrier hence the cargo is released immediately after it arrives at the port. It is recommended to implement the sea waybill if the shipper has a long-term relationship with the consignee of the merchandise in the event the cargo will not be sold during transportation or it is waged to an account with accepted credit.