LaycanDeskSumatra and Kalimantan to Japan and Korea biomass freight - palm kernel shell and wood pellets
Palm kernel shell and wood pellets loaded by barge at the Sumatra and Kalimantan river anchorages for Japanese and Korean biomass power plants on Handysize and Supramax tonnage. Muara Sabak, Palembang, Dumai, Pontianak and Belawan to the biomass plants of Japan and Korea: palm kernel shell and wood pellets in 20,000 to 55,000 tonne cargoes on Handysize and Supramax tonnage, loaded by barge at river anchorages, on a lane where Japan imported 4.0 million tonnes of shell and 8.6 million tonnes of pellets in 2025.
Japan is the market. It imported 4.0 million tonnes of palm kernel shell in 2025, 74 percent from Indonesia and 22 percent from Malaysia, and 8.6 million tonnes of wood pellets, most of them from Vietnam with Malaysia and Indonesia supplying about 880,000 tonnes between them; Korea took 3.9 million tonnes of pellets and a few tens of thousands of tonnes of shell (UN Comtrade). The shell is a by-product of the palm kernel crushing mills, dried and screened by aggregators and brought down river by barge to anchorages at Muara Sabak, Palembang, Dumai, Pontianak and Kumai, where a geared Handysize or Supramax loads by her own cranes at 5,000 to 10,000 tonnes a day; Belawan and the Malaysian ports load alongside. Shell is light, so a 30,000 tonne cargo fills a Supramax's cubic before her marks, and pellets must be kept dry and are loaded from covered storage. The passage to Japan is ten to fourteen days, and the sustainability certificate held by the aggregator is what the Japanese buyer audits before the ship is nominated.
A biomass stem is fixed on the aggregator or exporter and its loading anchorage, the quantity and tolerance, the stowage factor, the discharge plant and its berth draft, the load and discharge rates with laytime terms, the laycan, the commission and the charterer's name; the charterer is usually the buyer or the trading house that sells delivered, so the desk asks each seller whether it sells FOB or delivered and who fixes the ship. Owners with geared Handysize, Handymax and Supramax tonnage opening in Southeast Asia, Japan or Korea send positions, and the desk holds them against the shell and pellet stems on the board; barge and tug operators on the Sumatra rivers are worked the same way for the anchorage loading. Every counterparty is screened before an offer and every ship by IMO number, and the charterer hears back with named ships and open dates. We work by email.
Load ports
- Muara Sabak anchorage (Jambi, barge loading)
- Palembang and Dumai anchorages (Sumatra)
- Pontianak and Kumai anchorages (Kalimantan)
- Belawan and Malaysian ports (alongside)
Discharge ports
- Japanese biomass plants (Pacific and Inland Sea)
- Korean plants, including Pyeongtaek
- Also Thailand and Singapore on smaller lots
- Netherlands and Poland on Panamax economics
Cargoes
- Palm kernel shell 20,000–35,000 t, Handysize/Supramax
- Wood pellets 25,000–55,000 t, kept dry
- Japan 4.0 Mt shell and 8.6 Mt pellets in 2025 (UN Comtrade)
- Korea 3.9 Mt pellets in 2025 (UN Comtrade)
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
How is palm kernel shell loaded?
By barge at river anchorages. Aggregators bring the shell down river to Muara Sabak, Palembang, Dumai, Pontianak or Kumai and the ship loads with her own cranes and grabs at 5,000 to 10,000 tonnes a day; Belawan and the Malaysian ports load alongside. The stem has to say how many barges the shipper runs and whether the ship's grabs or shore-supplied gear do the work.
What size cargo fits a Supramax?
Shell is light, so a 30,000 to 35,000 tonne cargo fills a Supramax's cubic before her deadweight, and 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes is a Handysize or Handymax stem. Pellets stow denser and load 25,000 to 55,000 tonnes. Send the stowage factor and the ship's cubic is checked against it.
Who charters the ship?
Usually the Japanese buyer or the trading house that sells delivered, sometimes the Indonesian or Malaysian exporter on a delivered contract. Ask the seller whether it sells FOB or delivered and who fixes the ship; the desk asks the same question of every seller before a stem is worked.
What must I send to get a named ship?
The aggregator or exporter and loading anchorage, cargo and stowage factor, quantity and tolerance, discharge plant and berth draft, load and discharge rates with laytime terms, barge and gear arrangement, laycan, commission and the charterer's name. With those the stem goes to owners the same day.