Ivory Coast has introduced a port cargo traffic control system centred on a document called the "cargo tracking note" (CTN), which is to be issued by an agent nominated by the country's shippers' council.
In a statement, the country's Ministry of Transport said the issuance of the note was intended "to exercise a better control of the cargo flows going to and coming from Ivory's ports".
The Shippers' Council of Ivory Coast (abbreviated OIC in the French language) was thus named in the statement to carry out the instruction.
For shipments out of 18 territories, mostly in Asia Pacific, OIC has in turn has nominated Sintrans Asia Services in Singapore as its agent to issue the note.
These territories are Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Russia, and Ukraine.
The transport ministry's statement, which names Sintrans Asia Services in it, also listed four classes of cargoes requiring applications for the CTN.
First is containerised shipment, each of which must be covered by a separate CTN. Second is ro/ro cargo, both new and second-hand, and the CTN is issued on per vehicle basis. Third is conventional goods or bulk cargoes, with per set of application for every 200 tons. And, the fourth is goods exceeding 200 tons, with a charge applying to every 200 tons.
Transit cargoes to Ivory Coast neighbours are exempted from CTN, the ministry also said, "as long as these cargoes are covered by a valid CTN for the final destination. It then names "Bukina Faso, Niger".
The ministry also warned that without CTN shippers and receivers "expose themselves to delayed delivery of the cargo by the OIC Customs authorities and to subsequent charges."
