LaycanDeskGrain bulk freight: wheat, corn and soybeans
Wheat, corn and soybeans in bulk on Panamax, Kamsarmax and Supramax tonnage from the Americas, the Black Sea and Australia. Freight for bulk wheat, corn and soybeans: the US Gulf and Pacific Northwest, Brazil's Santos, Paranaguá and Arco Norte ports, Argentina's Up River Paraná terminals with their draft limits, Australia, Canada, Ukraine's Greater Odesa ports and Constanța, on Panamax, Kamsarmax and Supramax tonnage with a grain document of authorization, NORGRAIN or SYNACOMEX terms and fumigation settled before loading.
Grain is a stability cargo before it is anything else. It settles and shifts in a seaway, so under SOLAS chapter VI and the International Grain Code every ship loading grain in bulk needs a document of authorization and a grain loading manual showing she meets the grain stability criteria, with slack holds secured by shifting boards, saucers, bundling or strapping. The trade is concentrated: US Gulf ports on the Mississippi, Texas and East Gulf handled 55 percent of US export grain in 2023 and the Pacific Northwest 24 percent; Brazil's northern Arco Norte ports shipped about 37 percent of Brazilian soybeans in the first ten months of 2025, with Itaqui handling 20 million tonnes of grain in the year; Kwinana in Western Australia loads at up to 5,000 tonnes an hour. Up the Paraná, Rosario's normal sailing draft is about 10.5 metres and in low water has fallen to under 9, so Panamaxes leave part-loaded and top off downriver. Ukraine's maritime corridor had carried 124 million tonnes of grain from the Greater Odesa ports by the end of July 2026, and Constanța takes grain from Romania and by barge and rail from Ukraine.
Send us the grain and its stowage factor, quantity with tolerance and whose option, load port or ports with the draft on the laycan (and the top-off port for an Up River cargo), discharge port with draft and rate, the charter party form the charterer uses, fumigation requirements, laycan, commission and the charterer's name. North American grain is commonly fixed on NORGRAIN; SYNACOMEX is widely used for the Black Sea, the Baltic and the east coast of South America. In-transit fumigation is carried out only at the master's discretion under IMO's MSC.1/Circ.1264, so the enquiry says whether the receiver requires it. Every counterparty is screened before an owner sees the stem, and owners of Panamax, Kamsarmax and Supramax tonnage with a grain document of authorization get it when their ship fits. Baltic Exchange P2A and P3A are published Panamax route benchmarks; we quote named ships, not index levels.
How it ships
- Shiploader at export elevators
- Document of authorization and grain loading manual (SOLAS VI)
- Slack holds secured against shift
- Fumigation in transit only at the master's discretion
- NORGRAIN, SYNACOMEX and GRAINCON forms
Load areas
- US Gulf (Mississippi River, Texas Gulf) and Pacific Northwest
- Brazil (Santos, Paranaguá, Itaqui, Barcarena, Santarém)
- Argentina Up River Paraná (Rosario, San Lorenzo)
- Australia (Kwinana, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Port Kembla)
- Ukraine (Odesa, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi) and Romania (Constanța)
- Canada
Discharge areas
- China and Southeast Asia
- North Africa and the East Med
- Red Sea and East Africa
- Bangladesh and Pakistan
- Japan, Korea and Taiwan
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
What is a grain document of authorization?
The certificate required by the International Grain Code, part of SOLAS chapter VI, for any ship loading grain in bulk. It shows the ship can meet the grain stability criteria and comes with her grain loading manual. Owners name it when they offer a ship; a charterer should expect to see it.
Why does an Up River Paraná cargo need a top-off port?
Because the river limits the sailing draft. At Rosario the normal draft is about 10.5 metres and it has dropped below 9 metres in low water, so a Panamax loads what the river allows and completes at a deeper port downriver. The enquiry should name both ports and the split.
Which charter party do grain cargoes use?
It depends on the trade. NORGRAIN is the form for North American grain; SYNACOMEX is widely used in the Black Sea, the Baltic and the east coast of South America; BIMCO's GRAINCON is another option. Tell us the form the charterer works on and owners quote on it.
Can a grain cargo be fumigated at sea?
Only at the master's discretion, under IMO's recommendations on the safe use of pesticides in ships, and the destination port must be told in advance, generally at least 24 hours before arrival. If the receiver or the import rules require fumigation, say so in the enquiry so the owner prices it.