Black Sea Grain Shipping: Ports, Season and Ships
The Black Sea is one of the main grain export regions in the world. Wheat, corn, barley and sunflower products go from its ports to Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Loading regions and ports
Grain is loaded in Ukraine (Odesa, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi), in Russia (Novorossiysk, Taman, Rostov and other Azov and Black Sea ports), in Romania (Constanta) and in Bulgaria (Varna and Burgas). Each port has its own berths, draft limits, loading rates and local rules, and these should be checked in the request. Security and war-risk conditions in the region can change quickly, and they affect insurance and the ships that accept the trade, so check the current position before you fix.
Season
Wheat is harvested in summer, so the main wheat shipping season starts in July and runs through autumn. Corn and sunflower products follow in autumn and into winter. Many cargoes are shipped in the first months after harvest, when demand for ships in the region is high. Plan the laycan with some room, because loading depends on the weather and the pace of the port.
Ships used
Most Black Sea grain moves on Handysize and Supramax ships, and larger parcels on Panamax ships where the port draft allows. Smaller coastal ships take cargoes to short-haul destinations. Grain needs clean, dry holds, and the ship is inspected before loading; see grain cargo shipping.
The Turkish Straits
Ships that leave the Black Sea for the Mediterranean pass through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. Transit has size, draft and traffic rules, and the waiting time can change from day to day, which should be allowed for in the schedule and in the laytime terms.
Destinations
The main buyers are in North Africa and the Middle East (for example Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia), in South and Southeast Asia and in the Mediterranean. The discharging port decides the ship size: a port with a low draft or little equipment may need a smaller ship with its own cranes.
What to write in your request
The cargo and the quantity with a tolerance, the loading port or range of ports, the discharging port, the laycan, the loading and discharging rates, the delivery term of your sale (see the guide to how to charter a ship) and whether a fumigation or phytosanitary certificate is needed.
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