Q.The document that serves as a receipt for goods, evidence of the contract of carriage, and a document of title in sea transport is the ____.

Among export documents, only one does all three jobs at once — acknowledging the goods, proving the carriage contract, and transferring ownership. In sea transport that document is issued by the shipping company.

The airway bill is its air-transport counterpart but is not usually treated as a document of title.

The question asks for the one document that is simultaneously (i) a receipt for the goods, (ii) evidence of the contract of carriage, and (iii) a document of title. Testing the options:

(A) Commercial invoice — incorrect; it is only the bill for the goods, not a title document.

(B) Mate's receipt — incorrect; it merely acknowledges loading on board and is later exchanged for the bill of lading.

(C) Bill of lading — correct; issued by the shipping company for sea transport, it is a receipt, evidence of the contract of carriage, and a document of title, so whoever lawfully holds it can claim the goods.

(D) Certificate of origin — incorrect; it only certifies where the goods were produced.

A frequent error is to pick the mate's receipt (which only acknowledges loading) or the airway bill. Remember that the 'document of title' feature is what makes the bill of lading special, and it applies to sea transport; the airway bill is the air equivalent but is not ordinarily a document of title.