House bill of lading vs master bill of lading
One shipment can have two bills of lading at the same time. They say different things, and that is intended. It is worth understanding the difference, because it decides who you can claim against and whether you get paid.
Who issues what to whom
The master bill is issued by the ocean carrier to whoever booked the space. On a consolidated shipment that is the NVOCC or forwarder, so the master bill names them as shipper.
The house bill is issued by that NVOCC or forwarder to the actual exporter. It names the exporter as shipper and the NVOCC as carrier.
So for one container there are two contracts of carriage: the shipping line's contract with the NVOCC, and the NVOCC's contract with you.
What must match and what must not
Container number, seal number, gross weight, vessel and voyage are physical facts about the container. They must be identical on both bills. At destination, a mismatch is treated as a misdeclaration, not a typing error.
The parties are meant to differ. That is how the system works, not an error. It lets several shippers use one container without appearing on each other's paperwork.
Which one your bank will accept
This is where it costs money. Under UCP 600, a bank checks whether the transport document was issued by a carrier or its named agent. A house bill issued by a forwarder or NVOCC is routinely refused unless the credit expressly allows it.
Letters of credit often say something like "Forwarder's bill of lading not acceptable". If yours says that and you are shipping LCL, you have a problem. An LCL shipment always produces a house bill. Spot this when the credit arrives and ask for an amendment then. Do not wait until presentation, when your only option is the buyer's goodwill.
Which one to claim on
Your contract is with whoever issued your bill. If you hold a house bill, your counterparty is the NVOCC, not the ocean line. The NVOCC's liability is whatever its own terms say, and that may be much less than the line's. If the NVOCC has gone out of business, your claim has gone with it.
This is not a reason to avoid house bills. It is a reason to know which one you hold, and to check who the NVOCC is on any shipment that matters.
The mismatch that breaks origin declarations
Watch the shipper name. Your certificate of origin, your commercial invoice and your house bill all name you. The master bill names the NVOCC. A destination broker sometimes compares the certificate against the master bill. They see a different shipper and ask why.
Usually an explanation settles it. Sometimes it leads to an inspection. Either way it costs a day. To avoid it, make sure the broker has the house bill and knows there is a master bill behind it.