Million tonnes of cargo are transported by sea around the globe. Trade is essentially international and 90 per cent of international trade is by sea. The bill of lading is still the main document of transport. It matches the interests of several parties in the international trade scenario - not only carrier and cargo owners but also banks and insurance companies. The bill of lading is not a new electronic tool but it remains the essential document in international carriage of goods by sea. What has started as clay tokens, then transformed in paper form now appears on a phone message. This book is the result of a doctrinal research on the above factual context and in particular on the bill of lading in the digital era examining the main advantages and disadvantages of the electronic bill of lading.