Argentina Grain Shipping: Up River Ports, Season and Ships
Argentina is a major exporter of soybean meal, soybean oil, corn and wheat. Most of it is loaded at river ports on the Parana, where the draft decides how much a ship can load.
The Up River ports
The main export complex is on the Parana river near Rosario, usually called Up River: a line of terminals that load grain, meal and oil. Ships from the sea sail up the river to load. Because the river is shallow, ships often load only part of their cargo there and finish at a deeper port, a method called topping off.
Draft limits
The depth of the river and the channel limits how deeply a ship can be loaded, and the limit changes with the water level of the river, which falls in dry periods. A Panamax ship that could take 70,000 tonnes in a deep port may load noticeably less Up River. Allow for this in the cargo quantity and the freight; the guide to deadweight tonnage explains why the cargo intake varies.
Deep-water ports
Bahia Blanca and Necochea in the south have deeper water and load larger cargoes, mostly wheat and corn. Some cargoes are completed there after loading part of the cargo Up River.
Season
The harvest of wheat comes at the turn of the year, so wheat shipments are strongest from December to March. Soybeans are harvested in autumn and shipped mainly from about April to July. Corn follows in the middle of the year. The ships needed follow the same cycle.
Ships and destinations
Supramax and Panamax ships dominate the trade, with Handysize ships for smaller cargoes. The main destinations are Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. See grain cargo shipping.
What to write in your request
The cargo and the quantity range, whether you accept topping off, the ports of loading, the discharging port, the laycan, the loading rates and the certificates the buyer needs. Compare the offers on the same basis; see freight rates explained.
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