If you ship to Africa, one document quietly stops more containers than any tariff: the cargo tracking note. Most people meet it as an ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note), but it goes by many local names: BESC, BSC, CTN, FERI, CNCA, BIETC. The idea is the same everywhere. A certificate gets validated at the port of loading, and its number must be on the Bill of Lading before the ship arrives. Without it, the destination fines you and holds the cargo. Nexport Logistics arranges the ECTN/waiver for your African shipments in the Nexportal platform.
The same document, many names
It's one class of document, a mandatory cargo-tracking certificate validated at origin, under different local labels. Forwarders call the whole family a waiver, which is a bit misleading: it's the certificate itself, not an exemption.
| Acronym | Full name | Where |
|---|---|---|
| ECTN | Electronic Cargo Tracking Note | English-speaking / generic |
| CTN | Cargo Tracking Note | English-speaking W. Africa |
| BESC | Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons | French-speaking |
| BSC | Bordereau de Suivi des Cargaisons | French-speaking |
| BIETC | Bordereau d'Identification Électronique de Traçabilité des Cargaisons | Gabon |
| FERI | Fiche Électronique de Renseignement à l'Importation | DR Congo |
| CNCA | Conselho Nacional de Carregadores (Angola) | Angola |
| CEE | Certificado Eletrónico de Embarque | Guinea-Bissau |
How it works
- Submit the draft to an authorised ECTN agent with the Bill of Lading, the commercial invoice, the freight invoice, and often the customs export declaration (sometimes a packing list or certificate of origin too).
- The agent validates it at the port of loading and issues an ECTN/CTN number, typically within hours.
- That number goes on the shipping documents before the vessel arrives. Many countries want it at least 5 days before arrival; some want it before loading or even before departure.
Destination customs and port or shippers' councils use it for cargo tracking, customs valuation (against under-invoicing), trade statistics and security.
Why you don't skip it
A missing or wrong ECTN means heavy fines at destination (they can run into thousands of euros), cargo blocked or not released by customs, plus demurrage and storage on top. Sorting it out retroactively at destination costs far more than the certificate itself ever does. Arrange it at origin, before the vessel sails.
Which countries require it
A practical booking checklist. Confirm per shipment, as scope and the exact local name change without notice:
| Country | Local name | Country | Local name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | CNCA | Guinea | ECTN / BESC |
| Benin | BESC | Guinea-Bissau | CEE |
| Burkina Faso | ECTN | Liberia | CTN |
| Burundi | ECTN | Libya | ECTN |
| Cameroon | BESC | Madagascar | BSC |
| Central African Rep. | ECTN | Mali | BSC / BESC |
| Chad | ECTN | Niger | BSC / ECTN |
| Congo (Brazzaville) | ECTN / BESC | Senegal | BSC / BESC |
| DR Congo | FERI | Sierra Leone | CTN |
| Côte d'Ivoire | BSC | South Sudan | ECTN |
| Djibouti | ECTN | Togo | ECTN |
| Equatorial Guinea | ECTN | Ghana | CTN (status fluctuates - suspended and re-introduced; check current) |
| Gabon | BIETC |
Others (Gambia, Somalia, Sudan, etc.) appear on provider lists too. Always verify with the carrier, the destination shippers' council or port authority, or an authorised ECTN agent before booking.
Egypt is a different system
Egypt's requirement is not a classic ECTN. It's the importer-driven ACID via Nafeza, on the CargoX blockchain. See CargoX & Egypt's ACI/ACID.
How Nexport Logistics handles it
We keep our own ECTN agent on retainer, so you don't have to find one or learn the rules per country. We check whether your destination needs a waiver, collect the documents, get the certificate validated at the port of loading and make sure the number is on the Bill of Lading in time. Your African cargo shouldn't be the one fined and stuck at the quay. It all runs alongside your B/L, Customs and booking in Nexportal.
Shipping to Africa? Email info@nexportlogistics.nl and we'll sort the waiver.
References: Electronic cargo tracking note (overview) · waiver/ECTN agents (e.g. waiver-service.com). The requirement is set by each destination's shippers' council, customs or port authority — treat this page as a booking-checklist trigger and confirm per shipment. Related: Cargox · Bill Of Lading · Customs