IBESC / Your shipping notebook / SL
Sierra Leone
ECTNElectronic Cargo Tracking Note
The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country located on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by 2 countries: in the South-East by LIBERIA and in the North-East by GUINEA.
The Sierra Leone Ports Authority in 2002 issued a decree that requires all sea cargo destined for their country to have a Cargo Tracking Note (CTN).
Some shipping lines may not load cargo without the CTN number.
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Documents and information required
Tick the documents you have ready. This checklist is a reminder, not validation of your application.
0 / 7 documents ready
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Procedure
Submit the required documents by email or online.
You will be sent a draft for pre-validation and an invoice, typically within the same day.
Once your payment has been received and you approve the draft, a validation will be sent with the CTN number.
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Timeline
- The ECTN must be validated before the vessel arrives at the destination.
- The CTN is validated by the authorities in the destination country, the process from submitting a request to final validation can take more than 3 days.
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Penalties
- Cargo arriving without a Cargo Tracking Note may be subject of fines and delays.
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Ports
- FREETOWN
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Additional information
- It is not mandatory to mention a CTN number for Sierra Leone on the Master Bill of Lading
- A pre-validated ECTN document should be completed and validated within 5 working days. If not, the ECTN will be cancelled. All costs involved will be for the applicant’s account.