Constraints of exporting to Africa

Shipping to Africa, especially the West Africa region causes issues to both the shipper, importer and Freight Forwarder. Additional documents are used to monitor volumes of cargo, track cargo, aid in customs clearance and duty and gather statistical information.

Documentation requirements range from Pre-shipment Inspections (PSI), Electronic Cargo Tracking Notes (ECTN), Conseil National des Chargeurs Angolais (CNCA), Bordereau de Suivi De Cargaison (BSC), Form M. In addition to this there could be Letters of Credits involved in relation to payment, Certificates of Origin and national prohibitions to be aware of. Many of the documents have to be arranged at origin; some even by the importer BEFORE the cargo has been booked to sail in the form of pre-shipment inspections and the Form M for Nigeria. If the cargo fails, the sale falls through.

These factors can cause a shipper to avoid trade with some African countries due to the lack knowledge required. African buyers in two different countries and a shipper could have double problems. If customs requirements are not adhered to then fines are guaranteed to be imposed - some in the region of USD 5000. Clearance can be severely delayed and demurrage charges will accumulate. The additional documents and requirements are not the responsibility of shipping lines and the majority will not be able to provide them. The responsibility can be assigned to a nominated agent in the UK in the case of the CNCA for Angola shipments but for others such as BSC for Ivory Coast and ECTN for Republic of Congo it is expected that the seller/shipper arrange these themselves through the specific web facilities approved by the respective shipping councils at destination.

Freight Forwarders are used by sellers to take the hassle out of shipping yet these documents are largely uncatered for. A seller would not normally have the knowledge and experience to ship to Africa, especially if it’s a new market for them so it would seem bizarre for Freight Forwarders not to accommodate for the whole product that the seller expects. Researching the requirements for Africa Documentation has not been an easy task. Only a handful of forwarders are offering the documents and there isn’t one complete service.

The BSC Waiver for Ivory Coast became mandatory at origin as of March 2013 and became impossible to obtain through a third party. This change plus a consistent flow of West Africa bookings fuelled the need, as a Forwarder, to provide as many in house documents as possible and information/advice for other documentation/requirements for this region of the world.

Lauren Tyler