Congo, Rep. of
General Information for Congo, Republic of the
Geo-political:
Capital City: Brazzaville. 04° 15.00′ S, 015° 17.00′ E
Nationality: (noun) Congolese (singular and plural), (adjective) Congolese or Congo.
Population: 5,293,070 (July 2020).
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 242.
Number of Internal Airports: 27 (2013).
Major Languages Spoken: French (official) and French.
Economy:
Currency: 1 CFA Franc BEAC (XAF) of 100 Centimes.
Exchange Rates:
(as of November 2020)
USD 1.00 = XAF 563.46
Exchange rates under licence from
XE.com
Main Industries: Petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour and cigarettes.
Agricultural Products: Cassava, manioc, tapioca, sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa and
forest products.
Imports: Capital equipment, construction materials and foodstuffs.
Exports: Petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee and diamonds.
Commodities: Crude: Production 340,000 bbl/d. Exports 254,100 bbl/d. Reserves 1,600,000,000 bbl.
Products: Production 15,760 bbl/d. Exports 5,766 bbl/d. Imports 7,162 bbl/d. LNG: Production 1,387,000,000 cu.m..
Reserves 90,610,000,000 cu.m..
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 169 km.
Climate: Tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high
temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator.
Natural Resources: Petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium,
natural gas and hydropower.
Natural Hazards: Seasonal flooding.
Terrain: Coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin.
DOCUMENTS:
Containers:
General Documentation Procedures:
All cargo arriving to and departing from Congo must be covered by below listed mandatory
documents. These documents provide the relevant agencies with all information.
ECTN:
The ECTN is the abbreviation for Electronic Cargo Tracking Notice. The ECTN number
is known as the NVU (Numero Visa Unique) and must be mentioned on the Bill of Lading.
The ECTN is mandatory both for export and import cargo. The Import ECTN must be arranged
by the shipper through The Congolese Shippers Council/Conseil Congolais des Chargeurs
(CCC). The Export ECTN must be arranged at Pointe Noire CCC head office by the local
exporter. An approved ECTN can be corrected before arrival of the vessel at Pointe
Noire.
COTECNA:
Every import shipment must have a COTECNA Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) before loading
at origin. PSI must be requested by consignee in The Republic of Congo and delivered
to shipper by origin COTECNA agencies after the cargo inspection.
The Congolese Shippers Council. T: +242 22 294 9946. F: +242 22 294 9953.
[email protected]
www.ccc.cg/
Cotecna Inspection Congo Sarl. T: +242 22 294 0042. F: +242 22 294 1366.
www.cotecna.com/
POLLUTION:
National response arrangements are not known. However, the operating companies, including
Agip, Amoco and Elf operate contingency plans for spills at their facilities; these
companies have limited equipment at their facilities. Elf has a small stock of dispersant
and a helicopter spray bucket at Djeno.
MEDICAL:
Medical facilities in the country are extremely limited, particularly in rural areas,
and medical evacuation is likely to be necessary for all but the most basic treatments.
Make sure you have adequate medical insurance to cover the cost of any medical treatment
and repatriation; this should specifically include the very high costs of evacuation
by air ambulance. If you take medication regularly, bring in a properly-marked supply,
sufficient for the time you will be in Republic of the Congo, with you.
There have been reported incidents of packs of rabid dogs in Pointe Noire.
Outbreaks of the human form of the Ebola fever have occurred in recent years. Don’t
eat ‘bush meat’ as this is widely thought to be responsible for a number of diseases,
including Ebola.
In the UNAIDS 2013 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic it was estimated that around
61,000 adults aged 15 or over in Republic of Congo were living with HIV; the prevalence
percentage was estimated at around 2.8% of the adult population compared to the prevalence
percentage in adults in the UK of around 0.2%. You should exercise normal precautions
to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS.
Also see "
General".
HOLIDAYS:
1 January (New Year's Day); 1 May (Labour Day); 15 August (National Day); 1 November
(All Saint's Day); 25 December (Christmas Day).
REPATRIATION:
Entry Visas for the Democratic Republic of Congo are no longer available upon arrival.
Crew joining vessels shall obtain their Entry Visa from the nearest diplomatic representation
or consulate of the Democratic Republic of Congo from their country of departure prior
to travelling to the Congo.
GENERAL:
Information obtained from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Up-to-date information
available at
www.gov.uk/fco/
AUTHORITY:
Ministere des Transports et de l'Aviation Civile, Direction Generale de la Marine
Merchande, Direction de la Navigation, et de la Securite Maritimes, BP 1107, Pointe
Noire, Republic of the Congo.
