Dear Shipper and Forwarders,
Maersk published a new update about the Gabon BIETC advisory. Please review the latest advisory details to ensure compliance with current requirements.
This update is relevant for anyone involved in shipping operations to Gabon and should be reviewed to ensure compliance with current requirements.
What a Gabon BIETC filing involves
This notice points to an advisory without restating what is in it, so here is the position our desk records for Gabon, last reviewed on 20 July 2026.
Gabon's cargo tracking certificate is the BIETC. An application is filed with four documents: the bill of lading, the commercial invoice, the export customs declaration and the freight invoice.
Three things send a Gabon application back more often than anything else:
- a draft bill of lading uploaded in place of the final "shipped on board" copy
- a vessel name or voyage number that does not match the official port manifest
- a BIETC number missing from the cargo description on the bill of lading
The last of those applies after the certificate is issued rather than before, since the number has to appear on the bill of lading itself. The Gabon BIETC page carries the current requirement list; if the advisory this notice refers to has changed any of it, the country page is the one kept up to date.