Cement Shipping: Bulk Cement, Clinker and Bagged Cement by Sea
Cement and clinker are heavy, low-value cargoes that travel by sea in large volumes. The main risk is water, and the main choice is between bulk and bags.
Cement and clinker
Clinker is the intermediate product of cement making. It is shipped in bulk and ground into cement in the importing country, which saves the cost of shipping the finished product and gives grinding plants a raw material. Cement itself is a fine powder that sets when it meets water. Both move by sea in large cargoes between producing countries, for example in Turkey, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and importing regions such as West Africa and the Americas.
Bulk or bags
Bulk cement is loaded and discharged by pipe and air in ports with silos. Bagged cement is loaded on pallets or in big bags and is handled by cranes and trucks, which is slower and costs more, but suits ports with no bulk equipment. Clinker is loaded like other dry bulk cargo, by grab or conveyor.
The ships
Bulk cement is often carried by specialised cement carriers that discharge by their own pumps. Clinker and bagged cement go on Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers and on general cargo ships; see dry bulk vessel charter and general cargo vessels.
Keeping the cargo dry
Water is the main danger. The holds must be clean and dry, the hatch covers tight and the loading stopped in rain. Cement that takes up moisture hardens and cannot be sold, so the ship operator and the shipper agree rules for sampling and for who bears the loss of a wet cargo.
What to write in your request
The product (bulk cement, clinker or bagged cement) and its grade, the quantity with a tolerance, the loading and discharging ports, the type of discharge available, the laycan and the loading and discharging rates. For bagged cement add the bag size and the way it is packed. Read how to charter a ship and how to ship bulk cargo by sea.
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