News item | 14-05-2025 | 16:00
A so -called cognossing is used when transporting goods by sea. This cognossing is a security that is issued by the carrier. In international transport, an electronic variant of such a document is increasingly used in practice. State Secretary for Legal Protection Teun Struycken and Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Barry Madlener have submitted a bill to the House of Representatives that provides clarity about the cases in which this electronic variant has the same effect as a paper cognossement.
In the cognoss, the carrier declares that he has received certain goods, that he will transport them to a certain place and under what conditions the transport takes place. Furthermore, it appears from the cognoss who has the right to demand delivery of the goods of the carrier. In practice it turned out that there was a need for an arrangement that makes it clear whether and under the circumstances an electronic cognossing is equal to a paper variant. An electronic cognossing cannot be physically issued by the carrier to the sender.
The submitted bill gives the practice the desired clarity in cases in which an electronic cognoss is used. Book 8 of the Dutch Civil Code is amended for this. All parties involved in the transport of goods have an interest in this, such as senders, shipowners, carriers and banks. The clarity offered about the electronic cognage contributes to the digitization of transport information in the logistics sector and to the future -proof and technical neutral of the Civil Code.