The Mate's Receipt, also known as the receipt for cargo, serves as proof that the cargo has been received by the ship and loaded onto board. The chief mate on the vessel signs the Mate's Receipt after verifying the date, quantity, and stowage notes made by the tally clerk on the tally sheet and cross-referencing them with the bill of lading. The shipper then exchanges the signed Mate's Receipt for the on-board bill of lading with the carrier or their agent.

Due to the main items in the aforementioned three documents being essentially the same, some major ports in our country have adopted a practice of combining the bill of lading, loading order, receipt of goods, freight notification, etc., into one document consisting of up to 9 copies. The functions of each copy are as follows: the first copy is kept by the booking party for the preparation of shipping documents. The second and third copies serve as the freight notification copies, with one copy retained and the other accompanying the account to collect freight from the shipper. The fourth copy, the loading order, must be stamped and released by customs before the ship can receive and load the cargo. The fifth copy, the receipt of goods, and the sixth copy are kept by the stowage person. The seventh and eighth copies are the stowage return copies. The ninth copy is the application for payment of port charges for export goods. After the cargo is loaded onto the ship, the port uses this to collect the port handling fees from the shipper.

Bill of Lading

A bill of lading is a document of title to the goods. The holder can collect the goods with it, use it for letter of credit with a bank, or transfer it before the cargo ship arrives at the port of destination and the goods are delivered.

Loading List (LODING LIST)

The loading list is a comprehensive summary of the cargo to be loaded, compiled by the carrier based on the original loading order. It categorizes the entire ship's cargo by destination port and nature of goods, and arranges them according to the voyage and port of call sequence. It includes details such as loading list number, commodity name, quantity, packaging type, gross weight, estimated dimensions, and special requirements or precautions for handling specific goods. The loading list serves as the primary basis for the chief mate to prepare the cargo distribution plan and is also a crucial document for on-site tallying personnel to conduct tallying operations, for the port authority to arrange transshipment, and for the carrier to manage the cargo.

Manifest

The manifest is a detailed list of all cargo carried on a ship, itemized by port of destination. It is compiled by the shipping company after the cargo is loaded onto the vessel, based on the receipt or bill of lading. It primarily includes the detailed information of the cargo, loading and unloading ports, bill of lading number, ship name, shipper's and consignee's names, marking numbers, etc.

Cargo Plan

The cargo stowage plan is a deck plan prepared based on the actual loading conditions of the goods. It serves as a reference for the shipowner in handling, storing, and unloading cargo operations, and it is also the document used at the discharge port for tallying, arranging berths, and loading the goods into the hold.

Delivery Order

The delivery order is a document that the consignee obtains by presenting the original or duplicate bill of lading along with valid collateral, allowing them to pick up the goods from the port handling department.

Logistics management primarily has 4 characteristics.

(1) Customer satisfaction as the top priority;

(2) Aimed at the overall improvement of the enterprise.

(3) Information-centric

(4) Prioritize efficiency and results.