International trade becomes inevitable when the countries want to spread their own markets. In international trade, a major role is played by maritime transport. A large part of trade at international level is carried via sea. In international trade as both parties are situated in different countries, the process is completed with help of a middleman, called as ‘carrier’. This could lead to emergence of various queries such as, at which place and to whom the goods are to be delivered by him etc. The answer to these queries lies in an important document used in international trade when it is carried out through sea route, that is, “Bill of Lading”. As time went by improvements in technology took place, which led to evolution of ‘Electronic bill of lading’. The article aims to highlight the meaning and functions of bill of lading. The article further focuses on the emergence of bill of lading and its ambiguous position in this era of digitalization.

DOI: http://doi.one/10.1732/IJLMH.25138