Category: Freight

Kazakhstan Gains Share: China’s sunflower oil imports from Kazakhstan surged, lifting its market share from 10% in 2024 to 28% in 2025 at the expense of Russian and Ukrainian suppliers. Demand Slump: China’s total sunflower oil imports dropped to around 500,000 tons in 2025, a multi-year low as high prices curbed buying interest. Record-Low Stocks:…

Export Shift: China’s vegetable oil exports are set to climb sharply from the historical 100,000-ton baseline in 2025, reshaping Asian trade flows. Processing Power: China controls about 25% of global oilseed crushing capacity, exceeding 200 million tons per year, with soybeans making up over 70%. Import Dependence: Despite record harvests, China still imports 100+ million tons of…

Bullish: February wheat, barley, and corn exports rose year-on-year, supporting near-term vessel demand on Black Sea routes. Bearish: Marketing year-to-date grain exports are down 14.6% with a shrinking buyer base, signaling structural headwinds for sustained freight demand. Bearish: Egypt’s wheat purchases fell 42.5% and overall crop and destination diversity narrowed, concentrating flows and limiting freight…

Coordination between Kazakhstan’s Kuryk Port and Azerbaijan’s Baku seaport aims to strengthen ferry services across the Caspian Sea. Roughly 90% of cargo departing Kuryk currently flows via Baku toward international destinations, underscoring the corridor’s strategic role. Enhanced partnership supports more sustainable logistics chains for grain and cargo, reinforcing the Trans-Caspian route as an alternative to…

Exports: Ukraine shipped 270,000 tons of sugar in September–February 2025/26 MY, with Lebanon and Syria absorbing 46% of total volumes. Acreage: Sugar beet plantings are forecast at 170,000 hectares for 2026, pointing to lower raw material availability. Production: Domestic sugar output is expected to fall nearly 25% to 1.3 million tons in 2026, reducing exportable…

Tariff Revision: Uzbekistan Railways JSC will implement new railcar delivery and siding removal tariffs from March 16, 2026. Differentiated Pricing: Fees will vary by track type, locomotive parameters, daily railcar group size, and roundtrip distance. Cost Impact: Infrastructure costs and planning complexity may increase for export and transit freight through Uzbekistan, especially for grain and…

Stable exports: Ukraine shipped 5 million tons of agricultural products in February 2026, maintaining steady export performance. Marginal growth: Export volumes rose 0.3% month-on-month, indicating slight improvement without major market disruption. Neutral market impact: Consistent volumes suggest steady demand for Black Sea freight capacity, with a neutral short-term effect on freight rates and grain availability.…

Administrative: Chornomorsk port's First and Container Terminals concession tender deadline extended to March 13, 2026, from the original 75-day window. Procedural: Extension granted to allow bidders to integrate extensive clarifications on security monitoring documentation requirements. Strategic: Tender covers the Universal and Grain Marine Terminals, key assets for Black Sea grain export capacity and long-term port…

Improving efficiency at Greater Odesa: Daily grain railcar unloading rose to 1,196 units (+70 w/w), with loading up to 1,232 units per day. Potential bottlenecks ahead: Grain railcars en route to Greater Odesa ports fell sharply by 311 units to 10,700, hinting at possible supply chain or origination issues. Diversification via Danube ports: Rail traffic…

Debt reduction: IMK cut its loan portfolio from $140 million (2014) to $18 million by end-2025 and targets $10 million by end-2026. Self-funded CAPEX: The company is pivoting from external borrowing to self-financing logistics and environmental projects. Rail logistics focus: 75 EBRD-financed grain carriers, acquired in 2023, are currently used mainly in Ukraine’s domestic logistics…