Fertilisers run counter to the grain season: what goes onto the fields in spring has to move in winter. That counter-cycle is exactly what makes the segment valuable for voyage planning – it fills return legs that would otherwise be sailed in ballast.
Typical cargoes
- Urea, ammonium nitrate, UAN
- Potash, phosphate, rock phosphate
- NPK compound fertilisers
- In bulk in the holds or bagged in big bags
What matters
- IMSBC classification and the requirements of the specific cargo are settled before the fixture – not on arrival at the load port.
- Hygroscopic and in part corrosive: hold protection and hatch tightness decide the condition on discharge.
- Agree separation from previous cargo and the cleaning standard clearly, especially when alternating with agricultural cargoes.
- Winter-weighted demand with tight delivery windows ahead of the application season.
Think fertiliser and grain across the same trading area and you win twice: a laden outbound and a laden return instead of half a round voyage in ballast.
Frequently asked
Can fertiliser and grain be carried in the same hold on consecutive voyages?
In principle yes, but only with a clearly agreed cleaning standard between voyages. Fertiliser followed by grain is the demanding direction, because residues will fail a grain hold inspection. The cleaning effort therefore belongs in the charter party, not in the argument afterwards.
Bulk or bagged – what is usual in the short-sea trade?
Both occur. Bulk is cheaper to handle and the norm in volume business; bagged cargo in big bags is chosen where moisture protection, smaller parcel sizes or onward distribution ashore argue for it. The choice feeds straight through to laytime and handling cost.
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