A corrected notify-party address arrives after the shipping instructions have been submitted. The customer expects the next bill of lading to show the change; the operator needs to identify the right revision, submit the exact wording and check the returned copy.
Maersk’s verify-copy amendment guidance takes the operator back to the shipping instructions and returns a revised verify copy after confirmation. Keep that new version alongside the approved correction when checking the result.
Identify the document and its state
Establish whether the request concerns shipping instructions, a draft B/L or another document state. Record the booking reference, document identifier, revision and source of the current copy. This playbook covers authorised SI or draft B/L corrections; issued or released transport documents require their applicable procedure.
Do not merge instructions from different revisions without resolving which version the approver used. Customs and dangerous-goods judgement remain outside this scope.
Build a field-by-field correction schedule
Example. On draft revision D2 for EX-003, an authorised party requests a correction to the notify-party address. The replacement wording is supplied verbatim. No other field is authorised to change.
| Field | Current revision | Authorised correction | Returned revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document state | Draft D2 | Remain within authorised draft correction | Awaiting return |
| Notify-party address | Existing text in D2 | Exact replacement text from approver | Compare verbatim |
| Other fields | As in D2 | No authorised changes | Check for differences |
| Amendment costs | Unknown | Establish applicable terms and approval | Open |
Keep the source instruction and the exact replacement values. Avoid using a general instruction such as “fix the address” as the complete correction schedule.
Resolve authority before submission
Identify who is entitled to request and approve the change for this document and shipment. The operator should not infer that one party’s instruction authorises changes beyond its scope.
If the request conflicts with an earlier approval, the document state is uncertain or a newer revision appears, stop the proposed submission and obtain a decision. Record any known costs and leave unquoted fees unknown.
Retain the request and returned revision
The authorised operator uses the applicable submission route. Preserve the request, attached revision, field schedule and acknowledgement. Submission evidence establishes what was sent; it does not establish what the carrier accepted.
On return, record the new revision and compare the approved fields against their exact requested values. Check for additional differences. A new PDF with a new filename does not by itself prove that the correction is right.
Escalate a mismatch or a different document state
Keep the task open if the requested field differs, an unrelated field changed, the response relates to another revision or the document has progressed beyond the approved scope. Identify the decision needed and the responsible person.
Customs declarations, dangerous-goods decisions and issued-document changes follow their own approval and handling procedures.
Close the amendment record
Retain the source revision, authorised changes, approval, submission evidence, returned revision and comparison. Record downstream recipients and any remaining charge or document action. A completion note should say which evidence was checked and which actions remain open.
For the related booking comparison, see the amended-booking verification checklist.
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