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Chad dues payable in Cameroon
Shipowners and operators whose vessels have called at Cameroon ports with transit cargo bound for Chad are advised that they may receive formal notifications issued by a debt recovery agent, K Polygone, demanding the payment of outstanding maritime dues dating as far back as February 2024.
A joint decree issued by Chad’s Ministry of Transports and Ministry of Finances on February 14, 2024, officially established a mandatory maritime due (redevance maritime) on all transit cargo moving through gateway ports. Because landlocked Chad relies heavily on Cameroon’s transit corridors, Chadian authorities have been actively holding working sessions with the Cameroon Shipping Agencies Syndicate (UCAM) to strictly enforce the collection of these backdated charges.
The dues are normally payable through the ship’s agent, but we understand that when the charge was first introduced, the agents did not necessarily receive the relevant invoices in a timely manner with the result that they could not include them in their disbursement accounts.
Budd Cameroon reports that the standard maritime time-bar does not apply to these claims. Because these dues are categorized as public treasury funds, and direct collection pressure is being applied to local shipping agents on the ground , authorities are pursuing full retroactive payments without standard time limitations. Recent formal notices issued by state-mandated collection agencies reveal that collection actions are already underway against shipping lines for unpaid sovereign dues, including those related to historical crude oil and container loadings.
The Official Tariff Rates
Under Article 3 of the Chadian Interministerial Order, the mandatory maritime dues are levied on shipowners and operators at the following fixed rates:
Cargo / Vehicle Type | Due in FCFA | Equivalent in EUR |
20’ Container | 30,000 FCFA | €45.73 |
40’ Container | 60,000 FCFA | €91.47 |
Passenger / Tourism Vehicle | 20,000 FCFA | €30.49 |
Truck (Tractor and Body) | 30,000 FCFA | €45.73 |
Conventional, Bulk, and Petroleum Cargo | 750 FCFA / metric ton | €1.14 / MT |
CRITICAL LEGAL RESTRICTION: Chadian authorities consider these dues a sovereign contribution toward national development. Consequently, Article 5 of the decree explicitly states that under no circumstances may shipowners pass these costs onto the cargo owners or shippers.
Parallel Royalties in Cameroon (Effective 2025)
In addition to Chad’s back-tax enforcement, shipowners must also account for parallel port royalties implemented by the Cameroon government, which took effect in January 2025. These domestic royalties are billed directly to the ship’s local port agents and must be settled into the government treasury account at the following rates:
- Import Cargo: 800 FCFA (€1.22) per metric ton
- Export Cargo: 600 FCFA (€0.91) per metric ton
The Regional Context: MOWCA Infrastructure Push
These aggressive collection measures are part of a broader, coordinated regional effort by African states to enforce a long-standing resolution adopted by the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA).
Dating back to an agreement made on November 25, 1999, regional governments resolved to establish localized funding mechanisms dedicated to port and maritime infrastructure improvements. Shipowners operating in the region should prepare for tighter enforcement, as local port agents face direct legal exposure if these public treasury invoices are left unresolved.
Information provided by BUDD Cameroon (budd.cameroon@budd-pni.com)
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