Parliament has passed the Bills of Lading Act, 2025, replacing the 169-year-old Indian Bill of Lading Act of 1856 with an updated legal framework intended to modernize India’s shipping documentation and align it with contemporary global trade standards.
The legislation, which cleared the Lok Sabha in March and was approved by the Rajya Sabha via voice vote, now awaits Presidential assent before becoming law. The Upper House passed the bill in the post-lunch session, with the Opposition having staged a walkout.
Moved by Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the Act aims to simplify and reorganize existing provisions without altering their underlying legal substance. It formalizes a user-friendly and comprehensible approach to documentation in maritime shipping, addressing the need to evolve beyond the three-section colonial statute that primarily governed the transfer of rights and confirmation of goods onboard vessels.
The new law includes language restructuring, clear legislative definitions, a standard repeal and savings clause, and provisions that empower the central government to issue directions for effective implementation. It also formally discards the legacy of the British-era 1856 statute while continuing to uphold the document’s legal validity as evidence in shipping transactions.
A bill of lading serves as a document issued by a freight carrier to a shipper and contains details such as the type, quantity, condition and destination of goods carried. It also serves as a receipt, a contract of carriage, and a document of title—central to all global maritime commerce.
With the Bill of Lading Act, 2025, India has signaled its intent to recalibrate legal infrastructure in maritime logistics in line with global best practices and the country’s expanding presence in international shipping corridors.
