Does a base oil cargo need a certificate of conformity?

Côte d'Ivoire's pre-shipment conformity programme for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, run by SGS under a concession from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030, lists automotive spare parts, accessories and lubricants as a regulated family, and the programme's product list places heading 2710 in it against the manufacturer's specification. Chemicals were added as a new category from 1 July 2026. A regulated consignment needs the certificate of conformity issued before shipment, so the inspection is booked with the load-port survey.

Parcel or flexitank into Abidjan?

Both run. The UK and Dutch tonnage arrives in lots of about 1,000 to 2,600 t: HMRC records five UK shipments from Southampton in 2025 of 1,399 to 2,607 t, and Eurostat five Dutch lots of 999 to 2,290 t. Container lots run alongside: a 24,000-litre flexitank in a 20 ft box holds about 21 t of SN150 at a density of 0.875, so an order of 20 t per grade is one container per grade.

Which origins supply Côte d'Ivoire, and how is origin proven?

By Côte d'Ivoire's own customs declarations the United Kingdom supplied 69.8% of 2025 tonnage at USD 1,390/t CIF, the Netherlands 15.7% at USD 1,756/t and Italy 11.9% at USD 1,656/t. A customs origin is not the refinery, so every lot CBIL brokers carries the producing refinery's COA and a certificate of origin naming that refinery, with SGS or Intertek inspection at load.

How have prices into Côte d'Ivoire moved in 2026?

Up sharply from the spring. UK shipments to Côte d'Ivoire were declared at £743/t FOB in March 2026, £1,188/t in May and £1,787/t in July, and Dutch shipments at €1,225/t in March and €1,856/t in June, under CN 2710 19 99. These are statistical unit values, not offers: a price is worked only against a screened buyer's grade, quantity, packing and payment terms.

West Africa · Côte d'Ivoire

Base Oil CFR Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire: SN150 and SN500 for Ivorian Lubricant Blenders

Côte d'Ivoire declared 14,099 t of blending base oil in 2025, and 97.4% of it came from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy

In the common external tariff that Côte d'Ivoire applies as a member of UEMOA and ECOWAS, lubricating oils are split four ways, and base oil sits on line 2710.19.31.00, oils 'destinées à être mélangées' (for blending), apart from brake fluids, greases, two-stroke oils and other finished lubricants on 2710.19.32 to 2710.19.39. On that line Côte d'Ivoire declared 14,099 t of imports in 2025, worth USD 20.75 million, an average of USD 1,472 per tonne CIF, after 16,772 t at USD 1,364 in 2024 and 26,083 t at USD 1,401 in 2023, and all of the 2025 tonnage came by sea. Three European origins carry the trade: the United Kingdom shipped 9,843 t (69.8%) at USD 1,390/t, the Netherlands 2,210 t (15.7%) at USD 1,756/t and Italy 1,675 t (11.9%) at USD 1,656/t, together 97.4%, with the United Arab Emirates (313 t) and Belgium (31 t) behind them. The exporters' own statistics show the lot size and the price move. HMRC records five UK shipments to Côte d'Ivoire in 2025, all from Southampton, of 1,399 to 2,607 t each and 10,480 t in all, at declared FOB values falling from £932/t in January to £791/t in December; in 2026 the lots ran at 2,267 t in March, 1,989 t in May and 1,992 t in July, and the value rose from £743/t to £1,188/t and then £1,787/t. Dutch shipments to Côte d'Ivoire came in five lots of 999 to 2,290 t in 2025 at €1,311 to €1,451/t, and in 2026 rose from €1,225/t in March to €1,749/t in May and €1,856/t in June. Both series are filed under CN 2710 19 99, a wider code than base oil alone.

CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers Group I SN150 and SN500, and Group II N150 and N500 where the formulation allows, CFR Abidjan for Ivorian lubricant blenders and importers: parcels of the size the UK and Dutch lots show, on chemical and product tankers, and 20 ft flexitanks for container lots, where one 24,000-litre flexitank holds about 21 t of SN150, so an order of 20 t per grade is one container per grade. Every lot ships against the producing refinery's COA and a certificate of origin naming the refinery, with SGS or Intertek inspection at load. The tariff line carries 10% duty under the common external tariff, plus the 1% statistical fee (RS), the 0.8% UEMOA solidarity levy (PCS) and the 0.5% ECOWAS community levy (PC), with VAT on top. Côte d'Ivoire also runs a pre-shipment conformity programme for its Ministry of Trade and Industry, operated by SGS under a concession from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030: 'automotive spare parts, accessories and lubricants' is one of its regulated families, the programme's product list places heading 2710 in that family against the manufacturer's specification, and from 1 July 2026 chemicals were added as a new category, so a regulated consignment needs its certificate of conformity before it sails. Send the grade and group, the quantity, parcel or flexitank, the importer of record, the delivery month and the payment terms, and the enquiry is screened and worked against them.

Also on this lane: SN150 base oil · SN500 base oil · Group II base oil

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices product and chemical tanker freight on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Côte d'Ivoire base oil imports, 2025 (2710.19.31.00): 14,099 t · USD 20.75 m · USD 1,472/t CIF (2024: 16,772 t at USD 1,364/t · 2023: 26,083 t)
Main origins, 2025: United Kingdom 9,843 t (69.8%) · Netherlands 2,210 t (15.7%) · Italy 1,675 t (11.9%) · together 97.4%
Declared CIF by origin, 2025: UK USD 1,390/t · Netherlands USD 1,756/t · Italy USD 1,656/t
How it arrives: All by sea · UK lots of 1,399–2,607 t from Southampton (5 in 2025) · Dutch lots of 999–2,290 t · 20 ft flexitank of 24,000 L, about 21 t of SN150
Exporters' FOB to Côte d'Ivoire, 2026: UK £743/t (Mar) to £1,787/t (Jul) · Netherlands €1,225/t (Mar) to €1,856/t (Jun)
Duty and levies: CET 10% · statistical fee 1% · UEMOA PCS 0.8% · ECOWAS PC 0.5% · VAT on top
Conformity: Pre-shipment programme (SGS, 2025–2030): lubricants a regulated family, heading 2710 listed · chemicals added 1 Jul 2026

Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

What duty does base oil pay into Côte d'Ivoire?: Base oil enters on line 2710.19.31.00 of the common external tariff, lubricating oils for blending, at 10% customs duty. The UEMOA schedule adds the 1% statistical fee (redevance statistique), the 0.8% UEMOA solidarity levy (PCS) and the 0.5% ECOWAS community levy (PC), and VAT is charged at import on top. Finished lubricants sit on separate lines, 2710.19.32 to 2710.19.39, so the line declared for the blender's base oil is settled with its customs broker before a price.
Does a base oil cargo need a certificate of conformity?: Côte d'Ivoire's pre-shipment conformity programme for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, run by SGS under a concession from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030, lists automotive spare parts, accessories and lubricants as a regulated family, and the programme's product list places heading 2710 in it against the manufacturer's specification. Chemicals were added as a new category from 1 July 2026. A regulated consignment needs the certificate of conformity issued before shipment, so the inspection is booked with the load-port survey.
Parcel or flexitank into Abidjan?: Both run. The UK and Dutch tonnage arrives in lots of about 1,000 to 2,600 t: HMRC records five UK shipments from Southampton in 2025 of 1,399 to 2,607 t, and Eurostat five Dutch lots of 999 to 2,290 t. Container lots run alongside: a 24,000-litre flexitank in a 20 ft box holds about 21 t of SN150 at a density of 0.875, so an order of 20 t per grade is one container per grade.
Which origins supply Côte d'Ivoire, and how is origin proven?: By Côte d'Ivoire's own customs declarations the United Kingdom supplied 69.8% of 2025 tonnage at USD 1,390/t CIF, the Netherlands 15.7% at USD 1,756/t and Italy 11.9% at USD 1,656/t. A customs origin is not the refinery, so every lot CBIL brokers carries the producing refinery's COA and a certificate of origin naming that refinery, with SGS or Intertek inspection at load.
How have prices into Côte d'Ivoire moved in 2026?: Up sharply from the spring. UK shipments to Côte d'Ivoire were declared at £743/t FOB in March 2026, £1,188/t in May and £1,787/t in July, and Dutch shipments at €1,225/t in March and €1,856/t in June, under CN 2710 19 99. These are statistical unit values, not offers: a price is worked only against a screened buyer's grade, quantity, packing and payment terms.