In the transport of goods by sea, a so-called bill of lading is used. This bill of lading is a document of title issued by the carrier. In international transport, there is an increasing use of an electronic version of such a document. Secretary of State for Legal Protection Teun Struycken and Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Barry Madlener have submitted a legislative proposal to the House of Representatives that clarifies the cases in which this electronic version has the same effect as a paper bill of lading.

In the bill of lading, the carrier declares that he has received certain goods, that he will transport them to a specific location, and under what conditions the transport takes place. Furthermore, the bill of lading indicates who has the right to demand delivery of the goods from the carrier. In practice, there was a need for a regulation that clarifies whether and under what circumstances an electronic bill of lading is equivalent to a paper variant. An electronic bill of lading cannot physically be delivered by the carrier to the sender.

The submitted legislative proposal provides the desired clarity in the cases where an electronic bill of lading is used. To that end, Book 8 of the Civil Code will be amended. All parties involved in the transport of goods have an interest in this, such as senders, shipowners, carriers, and banks. The clarity provided regarding the electronic bill of lading contributes to the digitization of transport information in the logistics sector and to making the Civil Code future-proof and technology-neutral.