LaycanDeskUrea freight to Thailand - Bintulu, Sipitang, Sungai Liang and Sur to Koh Sichang and Bangkok
Granular urea from Malaysia, Brunei, Oman and Indonesia to the Koh Sichang transhipment anchorage, lightered to barges for the Bangkok warehouses, on Handysize and Supramax tonnage. Thailand imported 2.54 million tonnes of urea in 2025 and took 57 percent of it from inside the Gulf (UN Comtrade); the Strait of Hormuz has been severely restricted since 28 February 2026, leaving about 120,000 tonnes a month to replace. Malaysia, Oman, Brunei and Indonesia are the open origins already in the trade. The desk works the lane on the load terminal, the anchorage discharge into barges and the rice-season window.
Thailand's rice, cane and cassava run on imported urea: 2.63 million tonnes in 2024 and 2.54 million in 2025, when Saudi Arabia supplied 1.07 million tonnes, Malaysia 429,700, Oman 364,300, Qatar 285,300, Brunei 155,400, Indonesia 87,500 and Bahrain 64,500 (UN Comtrade). The Saudi, Qatari and Bahraini tonnes load inside the Strait of Hormuz. On 3 April 2026 five fertilizer ships bound for Thailand were held inside it, urea was short in the country from March to May, and prices ran about 60 percent above their level before the restriction. Importers turned to the neighbours: Sipitang in Sabah was offered at USD 650 a tonne FOB on 5 March 2026, Bintulu and Brunei's Sungai Liang plant, rated at 1.29 million tonnes a year, were the spot cargoes sought, and the regional producers were sold out through April. Oman loads at Sur and Sohar outside the strait. Demand follows the rice crop: buying builds from April for the main planting that starts in May with the south-west monsoon.
Urea for Bangkok does not berth. Ships discharge at the Koh Sichang transhipment area, about 28 nautical miles south-south-east of Bangkok port, where the anchorages lighter the cargo into barges for the run up the river to the warehouses and bagging plants. The freight therefore turns on the anchorage: the number of barges the receiver supplies, the daily discharge rate that follows from it, and the weather in the monsoon months when rain stops work on an open hatch. We ask the charterer for those before anything else, together with the producer and load terminal, the quantity and tolerance, the laytime terms at the anchorage, the laycan, the commission and the charterer's name. Geared ships are preferred, since the cargo is grabbed over the side. Bintulu, Sipitang and Sungai Liang are the short haul, across the South China Sea; Oman is the longer voyage round India.
Load ports
- Bintulu and Sipitang, Malaysia: 429,700 t to Thailand in 2025 (UN Comtrade)
- Sungai Liang, Brunei: 1.29 Mt/yr plant; 155,400 t to Thailand in 2025 (UN Comtrade)
- Sur and Sohar, Oman: 364,300 t in 2025 (UN Comtrade)
- Bontang and Palembang, Indonesia: 87,500 t in 2025 (UN Comtrade)
Discharge
- Koh Sichang transhipment area, about 28 nm SSE of Bangkok port
- Anchorage discharge by ship's gear into barges for Bangkok
- Rate set by the barges the receiver supplies; rain stops work
- Main rice planting from May; buying builds from April
The trade
- Thailand 2025: 2.54 Mt imported, 57% from inside the Gulf (UN Comtrade)
- About 120,000 t a month to replace
- Sipitang offered at USD 650/t FOB on 5 March 2026
- Geared Handysize to Supramax; urea is IMSBC Group C, kept dry
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
The cargo from the freight side
Questions charterers and owners ask
How is urea discharged for Bangkok?
At the Koh Sichang transhipment area, about 28 nautical miles south-south-east of Bangkok port. The ship anchors and discharges by her own gear into barges, which carry the cargo up the river. The rate depends on how many barges the receiver supplies and on the weather, so those go in the stem with the laytime terms.
Where does urea for Thailand load now?
From the open origins already in the trade: Malaysia supplied 429,700 tonnes in 2025, Oman 364,300, Brunei 155,400 and Indonesia 87,500 (UN Comtrade). Name the producer and the load terminal and the stem goes to owners.
When is the season?
Buying builds from April and the main rice planting starts in May with the south-west monsoon. The same monsoon brings the rain that stops anchorage work, so a cargo timed for the season should carry laytime terms that say who bears the weather.
What must I send to get a named ship?
Producer and load terminal, quantity and tolerance, the discharge anchorage with the barges and rate the receiver guarantees, laytime terms, laycan, commission and the charterer's name. Geared Handysize and Supramax owners opening in Southeast Asia, the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea send name, IMO number, dwt, draft, gear, open port and dates to desk-a005f1@in.laycandesk.com.