LaycanDeskBiomass, PKS and wood pellets bulk freight
Palm kernel shell and wood pellets in 20,000–35,000 MT parcels from Sumatran river anchorages and Vietnam to Japan and Korea. Freight for palm kernel shell and industrial wood pellets: barge loading at Sumatran and Kalimantan river anchorages, alongside loading in Malaysia and Vietnam, moisture and self-heating under the IMSBC Code, on Handysize and Supramax tonnage of 20,000 to 35,000 tonnes into Japanese and Korean biomass power plants.
Biomass fuels are light, bulky and alive. Palm kernel shell loads by barge at river anchorages such as Muara Sabak, Palembang, Dumai and Pontianak, or alongside at Belawan and the Malaysian ports, at a few thousand tonnes a day set by the barge supply; wood pellets load by conveyor or grab at Vietnamese, Malaysian and North American terminals. Both are IMSBC cargoes that self-heat and deplete oxygen in the holds: pellets carry their own schedule with entry restrictions and gas monitoring, and shell is handled under the same rules, so owners want the shipper's declaration on moisture and self-heating before they load. Moisture is the commercial and the safety variable at once. Shell at 15 to 20 percent and pellets under 10 percent are the contract limits, and a wet cargo heats, loses calorific value and costs freight on water. Stowage factors are high, so a Supramax fills on volume at 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes and a Handysize at 20,000 to 25,000.
Japanese and Korean receivers buy against sustainability certification, usually FSC, PEFC or a national scheme for pellets and a supply-chain declaration for shell, and the ship's papers must match the cargo's: hold cleanliness certificates, no contamination with the last cargo and a fumigation record where the receiver requires it. Send us the product with its moisture and calorific value, the certification the receiver needs, quantity with tolerance, load anchorage or port with the barge or conveyor arrangement and rate, discharge port and rate, laycan and the charterer's name. It goes to owners of Handysize and Supramax tonnage opening in Southeast Asia and the Far East, and comes back with named ships and open dates. Owners send positions with hold condition and last cargoes and hear from us only when a biomass stem fits.
How it ships
- Barge loading at river anchorages; alongside in Malaysia and Vietnam
- IMSBC: self-heating and oxygen depletion, hold entry controls
- Moisture declared: shell 15–20%, pellets under 10%
- High stowage factor: fills on volume
- Clean, dry holds; no residue of the last cargo
Load areas
- Sumatra (Muara Sabak, Palembang, Dumai)
- Kalimantan (Pontianak) and Belawan
- Malaysia (Pasir Gudang, Kuantan, Bintulu)
- Vietnam (Quy Nhon, Vung Tau) for pellets
Discharge areas
- Japan (biomass and co-firing plants)
- Korea (Gwangyang, Dangjin, Yeosu)
- Taiwan
- Thailand and the Philippines regional
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
Why does moisture decide both the price and the fixture?
Because wet shell or pellets heat in the hold, lose calorific value and can reach a temperature that endangers the ship, and because every tonne of water is freight paid for nothing. The shipper's moisture declaration goes to the owner with the IMSBC papers and to the receiver with the quality certificate; it has to be right for both.
What are the hold-entry rules on a pellet cargo?
Wood pellets deplete oxygen and give off carbon monoxide in a closed hold, so the IMSBC schedule requires holds and adjacent spaces to be kept closed, gas-monitored and entered only after ventilation and testing. Owners with experience of the cargo know this; the enquiry should say the cargo is pellets so they can plan it.
How is barge loading on Sumatran rivers priced?
On the loading rate and the number of barges the shipper can deliver to the anchorage, which set the days at anchor, and on the weather allowance in the wet season. A stem that states the anchorage, the barge arrangement and the rate gets a firm answer.
What certification does the Japanese or Korean receiver want?
For pellets, a chain-of-custody certificate such as FSC or PEFC, or the receiver's national scheme, tied to the bill of lading quantity. For shell, a supply-chain declaration of the mills of origin. On the ship's side, hold cleanliness and no contamination with the last cargo. Tell us which scheme applies and it goes into the enquiry.