Sailing Date

Sailing Date refers to the date on which the carrying vessel actually departs from the port of loading. It is a key time point in foreign trade transportation and documentation. It usually appears in the bill of lading (B/L), shipping advice, and documents required by a letter of credit (L/C), and is used to determine whether shipment has been made on time, calculate the presentation period, and determine the commencement of insurance. Usage scenarios include: the latest shipment date stipulated in an L/C, the delivery time agreed between buyer and seller, and proof of the shipment period when presenting documents to the bank. Notes: The sailing date is different from the On Board Date, which is the date the goods are loaded onto the vessel and may be earlier than the sailing date; it is also different from the Issue Date of the bill of lading, which may be later than the sailing date. In L/C transactions, if an 'on board bill of lading' is required, banks usually rely on the on board notation date rather than the sailing date; if proof of the 'sailing date' is required, corresponding documents must be provided. In addition, the sailing date affects insurance effectiveness (generally, under warehouse-to-warehouse clauses, insurance starts from the shipper's warehouse at the port of loading, but the L/C may require insurance to be effected as of the sailing date) and freight calculation. Unlike 'ETD' (Estimated Time of Departure), the sailing date is the actual date of occurrence and has legal and settlement significance. Foreign trade practitioners should ensure consistency of documents to avoid refusal of payment or breach of contract due to discrepancies in the sailing date.