P&O Nedlloyd announced the release of the latest edition of The Merchants Guide. The guide is designed for practitioners in international trade, particularly those involved with liner shipping. It provides guidance on documentation, with particular reference to contracts of carriage and procedures. It is designed for use as a source of reference and as a training aid for customers' staff.

John Richardson, the author, has been the Editor and Chief author of The Merchants Guide since its inauguration back in 1976, when it commenced life as an eight page publication entitled "A Merchants Guide to Liabilities and Documentary Problems".

The 2003 edition includes debate on a new international convention on the law relating to Carriers' liabilities for the Carriage of Goods by Sea (COGSA), the drive towards eliminating paper from international trade to create fully electronic transactions by facilitating Electronic Credits (instead of Documentary Credits) and the new measures introduced by US Customs following the events of 11 September 2001.

The latest edition of the on line version of the 2003 Merchants Guide can be found on www.ponl.com

Copies of The Merchants Guide are available from Jenny Pearce, Email: j.c.pearce@ponl.com