Routes
We are a Chinese freight forwarder operating from origin, where your goods are made and loaded. Importing directly from China brings barriers —language, distance, who to turn to when something goes wrong— and our job is to remove them. Ivory Coast is West Africa's main gateway and the transit port for Mali and Burkina Faso, with one requirement best settled before shipping: the conformity certificate is inspected in China, not on arrival. We handle your shipment end to end —transport, documentation and customs—, at the prices you only get by working from origin itself.
You work with the people at the port of departure in China, not with an intermediary in Abidjan who subcontracts. Fewer links, better price.
We are where your goods are made and loaded: we coordinate pickup, consolidation and shipping from the very first metre.
Ivory Coast requires the COC certificate for regulated products, and the inspection takes place in China, before loading. We are right where it has to happen: we coordinate it with an authorised body so your goods never reach Abidjan without the certificate.
We work in writing in French, the language of the country, and in English, the common standard of international transport. Every detail stays clear for both sides, with no language barrier with origin.
Sounds complicated?
We handle the transport, paperwork and customs from start to finish.
The best port depends on where your final destination is and on the type of cargo. We choose the one that connects best, to cut the cost and time of inland transport.
The country's largest port and one of the major ones in West Africa. Its second container terminal (TC2) takes a 16-metre draught and adds 1.5 million TEU a year, so it receives the big vessels without transhipping to a smaller ship. It is the natural entry point for almost all cargo arriving from China.
The country's second port, in the south-west, and the world's leading cocoa export port. Its multipurpose industrial terminal, in service since 2022, takes Panamax vessels. A good alternative if your final destination is in western Ivory Coast.
Abidjan is also the transit port for two landlocked countries. If your goods continue to Bamako or Ouagadougou, they clear under a transit regime and the overland leg is arranged from the port itself.
We also operate through other Ivorian points: Abidjan (ABJ airport) · San-Pédro · Abidjan–Ouagadougou corridor · Abidjan–Bamako corridor
The most economical option. FCL (full container) or LCL (groupage) depending on your volume, to Abidjan or San-Pédro. The transit time depends above all on whether the service is direct or transhipped at a Mediterranean or West African hub.
For urgent or high-value goods, via Abidjan's Félix-Houphouët-Boigny airport (ABJ). Fast, with real-time tracking.
We take care of everything, including duty, VAT and levies, and deliver to your address. You just receive the goods.
We handle clearance. In Ivory Coast the formalities go through the single window for foreign trade (GUCE), and two requirements are settled before the vessel leaves China. The first is the FDI (fiche de déclaration à l'importation), mandatory for any import with an FOB value of 500,000 CFA francs or more and domiciled with your bank. The second is the certificate of conformity (COC) under the VOC programme, in force since 2019 for regulated products: the inspection takes place at origin, in China, through one of the four authorised bodies (Bureau Veritas, Cotecna, Intertek and SGS). Without a valid COC, the goods stay at the port. On import you pay the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (bands of 0, 5, 10, 20 and 35% depending on the product) and 18% VAT, calculated on the CIF value plus the duty, on top of the usual levies: statistical fee (1%), WAEMU community solidarity levy (1%) and ECOWAS community levy (0.5%). We coordinate everything with an Ivorian customs broker so your goods clear without surprises.
Tell us about your shipment and we'll quote you. Only the email is required.
If you prefer, just email us four basics —what you're moving, how much, from where and to where— and we'll quote you as soon as possible. info [at] easychinashipping.com