What is a cargo tracking note (ECTN, BESC, FERI), and which African countries need one?

What a cargo tracking note is

A cargo tracking note is an electronic certificate that some destination countries require before the cargo arrives. It gives the country's shippers' council or port authority the cargo, its value, the shipper and the consignee in advance, so customs can plan and collect the right duties. Its number usually goes on the bill of lading and on the carrier's manifest.

ECTN, short for Electronic Cargo Tracking Note, is the umbrella name. Each country has its own: BESC (bordereau électronique de suivi des cargaisons) or BSC (bordereau de suivi des cargaisons) in French-speaking countries, FERI in DR Congo, BIETC in Gabon, CTN in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and a loading certificate in Angola. Maersk lists these names and says they all mean the same thing.

Who makes it, and when

• Who: the shipper or exporter at origin, usually through the forwarder or an agent of the issuing council. Carrier notices for Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Togo put the duty plainly on the shipper. A few countries let the importer arrange it: in Côte d'Ivoire, importers can get the BSC number locally.
• Per bill of lading: the number belongs to one bill. Liberia's rule, for example, is that each bill must be covered by its own CTN number, which also goes on the manifest.
• When: in most countries before loading. Liberia's cargo is not loaded without a valid number, Angola's loading certificate must exist before loading, and Gabon wants a provisional number before loading. Some deadlines are later: Cameroon's council asks for the import BESC at least two days before the ship arrives, and Sierra Leone asks for the CTN when the bill of lading is released.
• Papers: usually the bill of lading, the commercial invoice and the freight invoice. Guinea also asks for the export declaration.

Which countries need one

This table lists only what we could confirm from the issuer itself or from a carrier's published notice, as of October 2026. Names, issuers and deadlines change, so check before each shipment.

Landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and the Central African Republic have their own rules for cargo that moves through these ports. We could not confirm them from an official source, so ask the carrier. Transit rules also differ by port: Maersk's Côte d'Ivoire page says no BSC is needed for cargo in transit to Mali or Burkina Faso, while its Benin page lists an ECTN for cargo to Benin and Niger.

What happens without one

• Liberia: cargo without a valid CTN is not loaded and not discharged, and fines apply (CMA CGM notice, 2019).
• Gabon: Maersk warns that cargo loaded without a BIETC can be kept on board and sent back at the shipper's cost, and that cargo discharged without one must first clear a fine of 150 percent of the declared freight.
• Republic of Congo and DR Congo: Maersk passes fines for missing documents back to the origin office, for recovery from the shipper.
• Cameroon: a late import BESC is validated only after a penalty is paid.
• Senegal: a number given after the manifest is filed brings a council penalty plus manifest amendment fees, all paid before the cargo is released (Grimaldi notice, 2019).

Worked example

Kestrel Frozen Foods ships four reefers of frozen chicken to Monrovia for two buyers, on two bills of lading (the name is made up). That means two CTN numbers, one for each bill, because Liberia wants every bill covered by its own number, which also goes on the manifest. The forwarder applies through Liberia's licensed CTN agent with each bill of lading, the commercial invoice and the freight invoice, and does it before loading: in Liberia, cargo without a valid CTN is not loaded at all.

Questions to settle before you quote

Three questions decide the work. Does the destination, or a transit country, need a note at all? Who applies (you, your forwarder or the buyer), and who pays? Is the deadline before loading, before arrival or at the release of the bill? Settle them with the buyer and the carrier before you quote the shipment, because a missing note can cost more than the freight. The parties in the boxes are explained in consignee vs notify party, every document for a frozen container in the export document checklist, and the terms in the glossary.