Unable to take delivery of goods due to ‘OBL NOT RELEASED’, ‘OBL NOT SURRENDERED’, ‘NO TELEX RELEASE’

OBL not released OBL not surrendered no telex release ...

Oh… This is horrible. 

Once after completion of import customs clearance formalities at destination port, when approaching for delivery of import container, carrier says - OBL NOT SURRENDERED, OBL NOT RELEASED or NO TELEX RELEASE. 

Means, the carrier at destination port cannot release imported goods without solving this issue.

In this article, I would like to invite your attention on one of my bitter experience in handling import clearance.

Let me explain this issue in simple terms to make you easily understand:

You (importer) have an import cargo to be cleared out from port. You have completed import customs procedures and formalities and ‘passed out of customs’. The shipping company or freight forwarder who carried your goods not releasing cargo to you as they say ‘BL not released at load port’ or ‘BL not surrendered at port of loading’. What does this mean?

You need to have original bill of lading of the shipment, copy of message from load port saying, ‘not to insist for original bill of lading’, or a copy of ‘express Bill of Lading’. If you do not have any one of the three, you cannot receive goods from shipping company or freight forwarder who carried goods.

If your shipping company says ‘OBL not released at origin port’ means your supplier (exporter) has not yet released the bill of lading from carrier at port of loading. It happens due to non- payment of ocean freight, by oversight or any other specific reasons. In many cases, this default is happened due to non-payment of ocean freight by exporter. In some cases, the value of cargo will be lesser than ocean freight and the said cargo has to be moved too far from the supplier, obviously the ocean freight will be very high. So the exporter takes advantages of more time to pay ocean freight. However, some of the reputed shipping lines impose penal charges to exporters, who do not release bill of lading within a stipulated period of sailing of vessel from origin load port.

If your cargo is handled by a freight forwarder, he would not have received ocean freight from your supplier at load port against the said shipment. So your exporter would not have released original bill of lading from the freight forwarder at load port.

What did you learn from this article as an Importer of goods by Sea? 

If you import any goods from foreign countries by sea, make sure the following:

1. Ensure you have Original Bill of Lading in your hand
2. If OBL surrendered at load port, make sure, you have proof of message sent by the carrier of goods to his counterpart at destination port stating to release cargo without OBL and not to insist Original Bill of Lading from the consignee. You can collect this message through your supplier/exporter well in advance, before arrival of goods at destination port.
3. If SEA WAY BILL / EXPRESS RELEASE BILL OF LADING is issued, please keep a copy with you and confirm with carrier at destination port well before arrival of goods.