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Outline of a mate's receipt for cargo ships employment
A mate’s receipt is a receipt, issued and signed by the carrying ship’s chief mate (or the ship’s agent on his behalf), for goods
received on board.
It may be encountered in virtually any conventional trade (general cargo, dry bulk or tanker), but has been replaced
in the liner trades (i.e. container and ro-ro shipping) by a more modern document, the Standard Shipping Note.
It is the document on which the details entered on the bill of lading are based; the information on both mate’s
receipt and bill of lading should therefore be identical. The mate’s receipt should not be copied directly from the
shipping note presented when the goods are brought alongside, but should be compiled from a ship’s tally or
measurement and show the actual quantity and condition of the goods as received. should, when the condition or quantity of the cargo justifies it, be endorsed with remarks such as “torn bags”,
“stained bales”, “rusty drums”, etc.
and should, where the ship’s and shipper’s tallies disagree, be made out for the smaller figure, with the clause “X
more (drums) in dispute; if onboard to be delivered”, “X” being the difference between the tallies.
It will normally be on the shipowner’s form, in a triplicate pad or book kept on board. The original should be
given to the person delivering the goods to the ship, a copy should go to the agent, and a second copy should be
retained in the pad on the ship for comparing with bills of lading before signature, and for use in compiling the
cargo plan.
It is not a document of title to the goods shipped and does not pass any title by its endorsement or transfer.
In ports and trades where mate’s receipts are used, the shipper must usually present the signed mate’s receipt to the
agent in order to be issue with the signed set of original bills of lading before the vessel sails.
Function of Mate's receipt defending claims
Goods or packages received in unsound condition clearly cannot be delivered in a sound condition.
Therefore, it is essential to maintain a careful watch during loading for any packages which may
have been tampered with, which are improperly or inadequately protected, broken, leaking, damaged,
repaired, spilled, torn or stained. Such packages should be rejected unless reconditioning is an option.
Care should, of course, be taken to see that any packages for which Mate's receipts (see below)
have been issued but for some reason have been returned ashore and then reloaded, are still in good
condition.
The Mate's receipt is given for goods actually received on board and is given up to the agent or broker
authorised to issue the Bill of Lading.
The Mate's receipts are often the shipowner's first line of defence in defending a cargo claim for damage
or shortage. It is essential that the receipts are accurate and correctly reflect the quantity and condition of
the cargo received on board.
Where it is practical for the ship's staff to carry out a tally, the total received on board may differ
from charterers' or shippers' tallies. The lower quantity should be stated on the receipt and claused,
for example, "23,850 bags received on board. 150 bags in dispute, to be delivered if found on board at
discharge".
It is more difficult to verify the quantity of cargo on board a bulk carrier, particularly as it may be
impossible for the Master to carry out a draft survey to compare with the shippers' figures. For example, the
ship may be loading at a roadstead, where the weather and sea conditions would render the survey inaccurate.
The only practical remedy is to endorse the Mate's receipts showing shippers' figures, "weight, measure,
quantity, quality, conditions, contents and value unknown to the vessel and owners". A partial, practical
remedy may be for the ship's hatches and cargo accesses to be sealed and certified by an independent
surveyor appointed by the owners P&I Club.
A surveyor should be appointed at the discharge port to certify that seals are intact before breaking bulk
with receivers/charterers invited to attend the verification, although it may be found that the charterers'
representative seldom appears. The Master should keep a written sequence of events at load ports and make
annotations in the deck log book. His letter of authority to agents to sign bills of lading on his behalf must
state that they are to be issued in strict conformity with remarks on the Mate's receipts. Charterers' attempt
to word the authority "Mate's receipts or tallies" should be resisted as they may attempt to use the tallies
issued clean rather than the claused Mate's receipts.
Cargo arriving at shipside in a damaged condition should be rejected. It is fraud to sign Mate's
receipts that do not reflect the true condition of the cargo. The rejection of bagged cargo or packaged
goods for mould, wet damage or leakage, is relatively straightforward. However, this may not always
be practical with limited ship's staff and six hatches being loaded with bagged commodities.
Often,
it is not possible to verify the condition of the contents within the packaging; rice may be infested,
and coffee may be mouldy, for example. The best the ship's staff can do, is to be vigilant and exercise
due diligence. If there is a problem, this should be drawn to the attention of the shipper or charterer.
The Mate's receipts should be signed in good faith and endorsed, "... quality, condition, contents and
value unknown..."
Cargo tallying
It is impossible for ship's staff to efficiently tally loading and/or discharge of cargo except in circumstances
involving small parcels such as mail or bullion. In some ports it will be sensible for the ship to employ tally
clerks independent of any employed by the shipper or receiver to ensure that the ship has figures to defend
any shortage claim. Even this may not be sufficient in some jurisdictions and the Master should consult his
P&I Club to ensure that the best course of action is followed in a particular port.
If tally clerks are employed jointly by shipper and owner, the clerk's receipt may be accepted in place
of the Mate's receipt and spot checks by ship's staff on the accuracy of the tally are a sensible precaution.
The ship's tally should be taken on board both for loading and discharge and not ashore or in a lighter as
the ship's liability usually commences and ceases when the cargo passes over the ship's rail. Tally records
should be retained on board for defence in the event of a claim against the ship.
Related other info pages
- What is a bill of lading ?
A bill of lading is a receipt for goods either received (before shipment) or shipped on board.
It provides good evidence of the existence and terms of a contract between the shipper and carrier ...
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- Function of a bill of lading in cargo ships agreement
a bill of lading is only prima facie evidence as to the quantity, weight and condition of goods
shipped, i.e. if a bill is signed for a greater quantity of cargo than is actually shipped, it may be possible, provided
the bill is not endorsed to a third party,...
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- Bill of lading related problems
Problems may arise handling a bill of lading....
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- How the bolero system works ?
Bolero is designed for all parties in the trade process:
importers, exporters, freight forwarders, port authorities, inspection agencies, carriers, ship’s agents, customs
agencies and financial institutions....
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- Delivery conditions in a time charter agreement
Unless the contract contained in the bill of lading, charter party or sea waybill expressly provides otherwise, goods
stated in the contract of carriage as being carried on deck and which are, in fact, stowed on deck will not be
protected by the Hague-Visby Rules. ...
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- Hague-Visby Rules defining cargo ships obligations and liability
Hague-Visby Rules (HVRs) are properly called the Hague Rules as Amended by the Brussels Protocol 1968 and apply to every bill of lading or any similar document of title relating to the carriage of goods between ports...
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- Hamburg Rules
Hamburg Rules are properly called the United Nations Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea 1978, were drafted under the auspices of the UN agency UNCITRAL and introduced in 1992 in response to shippers’ complaints that the Hague and Hague-Visby Rules were unfavourably weighted in favour of the carrier....
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- Outline of a mate's receipt
A mate’s receipt is a receipt, issued and signed by the carrying ship’s chief mate (or the ship’s agent on his behalf), for goods
received on board....
More .....
- Sea waybills and related procedure
A sea waybill is a receipt for goods shipped on board.
It bears good evidence of the existence and terms of a contract between the shipper and carrier, but is not a contract
itself....
More .....
- What is standard shipping note
Standard Shipping Note (SSN) is a shipping document widely used in the UK liner trades to accompany a consignment of goods from their place of origin (e.g. a factory) to the place of loading (e.g. an inland container depot) or the port of shipment....
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