Through Transport

Through Transport refers to the transport of goods from the place of origin to the destination by two or more modes of transport (such as sea, rail, road, air) in succession, with a single carrier or multimodal transport operator responsible for the entire journey. It is commonly used in international multimodal transport (e.g., sea-rail combined transport, air-bridge transport), and its application scenarios include import and export for landlocked countries, cross-border land transport, and bulk cargo requiring door-to-door service. Notes: The scope of responsibility of the multimodal transport operator must be clarified (usually governed by the United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods or national laws); a distinction must be made between 'through transport' and 'transshipment'—the latter refers only to changing the means of transport en route and does not involve a single contract for the entire journey; unlike 'segmented transport,' through transport is covered by a single through bill of lading issued by one party, and the cargo owner only needs to arrange one shipment, one insurance, and one settlement. The difference also lies in the allocation of risk: under through transport, the cargo owner does not deal directly with the carriers of each segment, whereas under segmented transport, separate arrangements must be made with each. When using it, confirm whether the document is marked 'Through B/L' and agree on the period of responsibility.