Grain corridor: Minimum vessel tonnage increased

10.02.2023 14:28
Tonnage: Capesize,  Coaster,  Handysize,  Panamax,  Supramax
Port: Chornomorsk Sea Port ,   Odesa ,   Pivdennyi
Cargo category:  Grain

Due to a significant slowdown of the JCC in the Bosphorus when inspecting vessels which are heading to Ukrainian ports under the Grain Agreement, the Coordination Council for Logistics in Agriculture took a decision, firstly, to change the rules of forming a queue of vessels waiting for the inspection, secondly, to increase their tonnage, and also to organize a long-term planning of the work of sea terminals and operators.

According with the adopted changes, the minimum sizes of shipping consignments must be as follows: from 20,000 t to 25,000 t of grain, from 6,000 t to 10,000 t of oil, from 15,000 t of meal (unchanged). Note that the new requirements do not apply to 108 vessels which have submitted a notice and have already been declared.

Taking into account the number of inspections averaging some 2.5 vessels per day, the new rules are expected to boost the overall shipping volume in about a month and a half.

It also should be noted that earlier the port operators were planning a ship call a week in advance of the schaduled date, while now they are required to make the corresponding planning a month before the call. This means that the USPA will arrange a vessel queue and declare ships a month in advance of the inspection.

The rules of the distribution of ships and the size of the port operators' quotas have remained unchanged, but the process is expected to become more public.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, as many as 108 vessels heading to Ukrainian ports under the Grain Agreement were waiting for inspection in the Bosphorus as of Feb 9 due to the slowdown of JCC operations. A total of 177 vessels have been declared by the operators and transferred to the coordination center.