What is an ECTN Certificate? A Freight Forwarder's Simple Explanation
An ECTN certificate (Electronic Cargo Tracking Note) is a mandatory shipping document required by certain African countries to track and monitor cargo arriving at their ports. Without this digital certificate, your shipment won't clear customs, resulting in costly delays, storage fees, and potential penalties. If you've ever shipped goods to Africa and suddenly hit a bureaucratic wall at customs, you've likely encountered the ECTN requirement. It's one of those documents that nobody thinks about until it becomes a problem, and by then, your cargo is sitting in a foreign port racking up demurrage charges while you scramble to understand what went wrong. Let me walk you through everything you need to know about ECTN certificates from a practical freight forwarding perspective. I've helped countless shippers navigate these requirements, and I've seen the same confusion and mistakes repeated over and over. My goal is to save you from those headaches by explaining ex...