1. Affreightment - contract for carriage of goods by water, "freight" being the price paid for the service of carriage. Such contracts are of immense importance to the world economy, forming the legal structure of the arterial traffic of the oceans. Essentially, such a contract is an agreement between two parties, the carrier and the shipper. The carrier undertakes to carry the goods to a specified destination, and the shipper to pay the freight.
2. Bills of lading. Many shipments are made under bills of lading, issued by the carrier to the shipper upon delivery of the goods for shipment. The shipper is entitled to demand issuance of a bill of lading, unless his right is excluded by the contract of carriage. The bill of lading is, in the first place, an acknowledgment by a carrier that he has received the goods for shipment. Secondly, the bill of lading is either a contract of carriage or evidence of a contract of carriage.
