KIEV: Goods’ shipping in containers is becoming more popular due to its universality and providing rather strict delivery terms. Universalization of containers handling has become such a significant advantage that bulk cargoes including grains are being shipped by these means.
Such way of shipping is more attractive for those companies which operate with small consignments of goods, as a standard 20-foot container can hold about 20 tons of grain. Freight brokers estimate that in 2014 about 20% of all grain deliveries towards South-Asian countries were made in containers.
Ukraine being one of the leading grain exporters keeps pace with this trend. The share of grain exports in containers is still quite small and does not exceed 1% of the whole shipments. However, the volume of grain shipments in containers is gradually increasing.
It should be noted that vegetable oils are also shipped for export by this kind of transportation (in flexi-tanks). UkrAgroConsult estimates that in season 2014/15 grain shipments from Ukraine in containers were record high – 336 KMT.
UkrAgroConsult in collaboration with Sea Gate LTD company offers a pilot version of a new review of grain and vegoil shipments in containers from Ukraine in June 2015. More details will be published in UkrAgroConsult’s periodical publications.