What is the Niger BESC (Niger ECTN)?
The Niger BESC, also called the Niger BSC or the Niger ECTN, is the electronic cargo tracking note of CNUT (Conseil Nigérien des Utilisateurs de Transports Publics), Niger’s shippers’ council; the validated certificate names CNUT as the issuing body. CNUT has port representations in Cotonou, Lomé, Tema, Lagos and Abidjan, the coastal ports through which cargo for Niger moves. The Niger BESC follows the final destination: a Bill of Lading discharged at Lagos (Apapa, Lekki), Cotonou or Lomé and carried on to Niamey needs the Niger BESC certificate.
New to the BESC? Read BESC meaning, and CTN meaning in shipping for the cargo tracking note that 30 African and Middle East destinations ask for in one form or another.
Other names for the Niger BESC
One instrument, several names. For Niger the filing is the BESC — Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons. The same certificate is also referred to as ECTN (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note), and a request for one is a request for the other. If your importer or your carrier has asked for a name that is not on this page, send it to us with the Bill of Lading and we will confirm which filing they mean.
Where the Niger ECTN applies: Cotonou, Lomé and Lagos
Niger is landlocked: sea cargo for Niger is discharged in a neighbouring country’s port and carried on by road. According to our records the Niger BESC (ECTN) is required even when the cargo is discharged at Lagos (Apapa, Lekki), Cotonou or Lomé; the certificate is issued for Niger, the final destination. The transit country’s own certificate rule may apply as well: our Benin and Togo pages describe those rules. Niger and Nigeria are different countries with different certificates: Niger issues the BESC, Nigeria the CTN. State Niger as the final destination when you send the Bill of Lading.
Official Niger ECTN sources
The Niger BESC is issued by Niger’s shippers’ council, CNUT (Conseil Nigérien des Utilisateurs de Transports Publics); the certificate names CNUT as the issuing body (see the sample on this page). CNUT was founded on 27 December 1984; it is Niger’s counterpart of the “Conseil des Chargeurs” in other West and Central African countries. It has port representations in Niger’s transit ports: Cotonou, Lomé, Tema, Lagos and Abidjan.
- CNUT - Niger official website
- CNUT: history
- CNUT: port representations (Cotonou, Lomé, Tema, Lagos, Abidjan)
accessed
When to file the Niger ECTN
The Niger BESC is validated against the final, dated Bill of Lading and before the vessel arrives at the port of discharge. The Niger BESC number cannot be supplied in advance, because it is issued at validation, so send the final Bill of Lading as soon as it is dated.
Who files the Niger ECTN
The shipper, the exporter or the freight forwarder at the port of loading files the Niger BESC. The consignee in Niger does not file it but needs the validated Niger BESC certificate to clear the cargo.
How to get the Niger BESC, step by step
According to the customs regulations of Niger, every cargo shipment purchased from abroad and transported for commercial, business, diplomatic, or personal purposes requires a validated Loading Certificate:
- ▪Send the Bill of Lading, the commercial invoice with the freight value shown separately, and the freight invoice. Tell us the port of discharge and that the final destination is Niger.
- ▪We check that the shipper, consignee and notify addresses match across the documents, that the weight on the export declaration matches the Bill of Lading and that the statistical value matches the commercial invoice.
- ▪You approve the draft Niger BESC. Shipper-owned containers need the tare weight on the Bill of Lading.
- ▪The Niger BESC is validated with the final, dated Bill of Lading; the Niger BESC number is issued at validation.
Niger BESC: validity and amendments
A validated BESC is issued against one shipment: one Bill of Lading, one vessel, one voyage, one consignee. It does not carry over to your next shipment and it carries no renewal date. If the shipment changes, the certificate has to change with it — and what can be amended after validation, and at what cost, is set by the destination authority. Corrections to the draft before filing cost nothing, which is why we send you the draft first.
What happens without a valid Niger BESC?
Cargo arriving without a validated BESC is generally not released at Cotonou (Benin), Lomé (Togo) or Tema (Ghana): customs clearance delays, storage and demurrage accruing daily, and regulatory fines until a valid certificate is presented. The demurrage is often the larger of the two numbers, and it is the one that grows while the paperwork is corrected.
What a Niger BESC costs
Two lines, quoted separately. The first is the statutory charge the destination authority sets for registering the certificate — it belongs to the authority, not to us, and it varies by destination and shipment profile. The second is our service fee for preparing the file, checking it against the published requirements, filing it and handling any query. Neither is a percentage of your cargo value. Both are fixed and shown before anything is filed, so the invoice you approve is the invoice you pay.
Niger BESC certificate questions
What is the Niger BESC?
The Niger BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons) is the mandatory electronic cargo tracking note for sea cargo to Niger, issued by CNUT. It is also called the Niger BSC, the Niger ECTN or the Niger BESC certificate.
Which documents are required for a Niger BESC certificate?
The Bill of Lading, the commercial invoice with the freight value shown separately, and the freight invoice. Validation needs the final, dated Bill of Lading.
When must the Niger BESC be issued?
Before the vessel arrives at the port of discharge, against the final, dated Bill of Lading. The Niger BESC number is issued at validation and cannot be supplied in advance.
What happens if cargo for Niger arrives without a valid BESC?
The cargo cannot be cleared for Niger without the validated Niger BESC; it waits at the port of discharge, with storage and demurrage, until the certificate is presented.
Can a validated Niger BESC be modified?
Changes after validation are restricted. Check that addresses, weights and the statistical value match the Bill of Lading and the export declaration before you approve the draft.
What is the Niger ECTN?
The Niger ECTN is the mandatory electronic cargo tracking note for sea cargo to Niger; in Niger it is issued as the BESC (Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons). Niger is landlocked, so cargo is usually discharged at Lagos, Cotonou or Lomé and carried on by road.
Is a Niger BESC needed for cargo transiting Lagos, Cotonou or Lomé?
Yes. Cargo discharged at Lagos (Apapa, Lekki), Cotonou or Lomé and carried on to Niger needs the Niger BESC (ECTN). The transit country’s own certificate rule may apply as well; see our Benin and Togo pages.
Is the Niger ECTN the same as the Nigeria CTN?
No. Niger (capital Niamey) and Nigeria (capital Abuja) are different countries. Cargo for Niger needs the Niger BESC; cargo for Nigeria needs the Nigeria CTN.
Can the Niger BESC number be obtained in advance?
No. The Niger BESC number is issued at validation, so it cannot be supplied in advance. Validation needs the final, dated Bill of Lading.