LaycanDeskBagged rice and sugar freight
25 and 50 kg bags on geared Handysize and Handymax tonnage from Karachi, Kandla, Thailand and Brazil to the Red Sea, East Africa and the Philippines. Freight for bagged rice and sugar in 25 and 50 kg bags: sling and pallet loading, tally at the hatch, fumigation and infestation clauses, on geared Handysize and Handymax tonnage of 10,000 to 45,000 tonnes from Karachi, Kandla, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil and the Red Sea to Port Sudan, Aqaba, Mombasa, Subic and Manila.
Bagged rice and sugar are the classic Handysize hook cargo. Bags of 25 or 50 kg are loaded in slings or on pallets by ship's crane or shore gear and stacked by hand, at 1,000 to 2,500 tonnes a day depending on the gangs, and discharged the same way into ports that mostly have no shore cranes. Two things distinguish food bags from fertilizer: the cargo is tallied bag by bag at the hatch, with the tally clerk's count deciding shortage claims, and it is fumigated in the holds after loading, usually with phosphine under a gas-tight seal, against weevils and beetles. Owners want clean holds free of the last cargo's smell and any sign of infestation, ventilation for sweat on the passage into the tropics, and hatch covers that keep rain out. Stems run from 10,000 tonnes on a Handysize to 20,000 to 45,000 tonnes on a Handymax or Supramax for sugar.
Rice ex Karachi to Subic and Manila, Vietnamese rice to Aqaba, Thai and Brazilian bagged sugar to the Red Sea, the Med and West Africa, and sugar ex Ain Sukhna to Port Sudan are shapes the desk has worked. Send us the product and bag weight, sling or pallet, quantity with tolerance, load and discharge ports with the gangs and cranes at each, load and discharge rates, laycan, the fumigation arrangement and the charterer's name. We put the stem to owners of geared tonnage opening in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea or Southeast Asia and come back with named ships, their gear and their open dates. Owners send positions with hold condition and last cargoes and hear from us only when a bagged stem fits.
How it ships
- 25 and 50 kg PP bags in slings or on pallets
- 1,000–2,500 MT/day by hook
- Tally bag by bag at the hatch
- In-hold fumigation after loading
- Clean, odour-free, infestation-free holds; ventilation
Load areas
- Karachi and Kandla
- Thailand (Bangkok, Koh Sichang) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Brazil (Santos, Paranagua) for sugar
- Egypt Red Sea (Ain Sukhna) for sugar
Discharge areas
- Red Sea (Port Sudan, Aqaba, Jeddah, Hodeidah)
- East Africa (Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Mogadishu)
- Philippines (Subic, Manila)
- West Africa and the Med
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
Who counts the bags, and why does it matter?
A tally clerk appointed at the hatch counts every sling in and out, and the mate's receipt and bill of lading carry that count. Shortage claims on bagged food cargo are settled on the tally, so charterers and receivers usually appoint their own clerks and the enquiry should say who pays for them.
How is fumigation handled on a rice or sugar voyage?
The holds are fumigated after loading and sealed for the passage, usually with phosphine, under the shipper's or charterer's arrangement and the master's supervision. Owners want to know it is planned, because the crew cannot enter the holds until the gas has cleared, and some ports require a clearance certificate before discharge.
Why do owners ask about ventilation?
Because bags loaded warm in Karachi or Bangkok sweat on the passage into cooler or wetter climates, and wet bags are rejected. A ship with working ventilation and a master who follows the dew-point rule delivers dry cargo; the enquiry should say whether the receiver has special requirements.
What sizes and ships do bagged sugar stems use?
Twenty to 45,000 tonnes on geared Handymax and Supramax tonnage from Thailand, Brazil and the Red Sea, often with an option of two discharge ports. Rice runs smaller, 10,000 to 25,000 tonnes on Handysize and Handymax tonnage.