Food Products News

Istanbul-based tanker operator Palmali has become the top shipper for Ukraine's Black Sea-borne sunflower oil exports, one of the country's key export products, and plans to expand further, its chairman Mubariz Mansimov said.Azeri-born Mansimov said Palmali was the most active operator in the increasingly dangerous Black Sea, and plans to expand its presence in Ukraine by placing an order for 10 more cargo carriers and starting trading operations early next year. Since pulling out of the U.N.-brokered deal that guaranteed safe shipment of Ukrainian food products in July…

Activity at Israel's ports is slowing after Saturday's attacks by Islamist group Hamas on towns close to Gaza, with the cost of insurance premiums for Israeli shipments soaring amid tightening supplies of food stocks, according to sources and data.Israel's southern coastal city of Ashkelon, which has a small port well in range of Hamas rockets, is not allowing ships to enter, shipping sources said.While the main Israeli ports of Ashdod further up the coast and Haifa in the north…

Russia may use sea mines to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea, including by laying them on the approach to Ukrainian ports, the British government said on Wednesday citing intelligence.Russia pulled out of a deal in July that had allowed Ukraine to safely ship food products out through what is traditionally its main export corridor.Ukraine responded by setting up a temporary "humanitarian corridor" for cargo vessels, and several ships have left Ukraine's Black Sea ports…

Ukraine's navy said on Wednesday that 12 more cargo vessels were ready to enter a fledgling Black Sea shipping corridor on their way to Ukrainian ports, as Kyiv steps up a push to defy a de facto Russian blockade on its vital sea exports.Russia, which has a much more powerful and bigger naval fleet in the Black Sea, pulled out of a deal in July that had allowed wartime Ukraine to safely ship food products out through what is traditionally its main export corridor. Ukraine responded by setting up a temporary "humanitarian corridor" for cargo vessels…

The Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi has halted operations because Russia is not allowing ships to enter it, in effect cutting it out of a deal allowing safe Black Sea grain exports, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.The Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia and Ukraine last July, and extended last week for two months, is intended to guarantee the safe wartime export of grains and foodstuffs from three Ukrainian ports - Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.The United Nations, which together with Turkey…

Russia has proposed that a U.N.-backed initiative that has enabled grains to be exported from Ukraine's Black Sea ports should be renewed for just 60 days.The deal to free up grain exports from Ukraine's southern Black Sea ports, which expires later this month, has previously been renewed for 120 days and there are concerns a shorter extension could cause logistical issues.Reached in July last year, it created a protected sea transit corridor and was designed to alleviate global food shortages by allowing exports to resume from three ports in Ukraine…

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Thursday it was unlikely the Black Sea grain deal would be expanded in the near term to include more Ukrainian ports or reduce inspection times.Kyiv has called for an expansion of the deal with Moscow which was mediated by the United Nations and Turkey and allows Ukraine, a major global grain exporter, to ship food products from three of its Black Sea ports despite Russia's invasion."I don't see that happening in the next, near term," the U.N.

A deal to free-up vital grain exports from Ukraine expires on Nov. 19, and intense negotiations over the next few days will determine whether it is extended and possibly even expanded to help ease concerns about global food security.The agreement, reached in July, created a protected sea transit corridor and was designed to alleviate global food shortages by allowing exports to resume from three ports in Ukraine, a major producer of grains and oil seeds.Here are some of the issues:WHAT HAS BEEN EXPORTED?The pact created a safe shipping channel for exports from three ports in Ukraine.So far…

Broker Marsh and Lloyd's of London insurer Ascot said on Tuesday they have provided coverage for a vessel carrying grain and food products from Ukraine's Black Sea ports under its new marine cargo and war insurance facility.Launched last month, it provides coverage up to $50 million for Ukrainian vital food supplies being shipped through safe corridors established by the newly signed Black Sea Treaty.The cover adds a big protection to the deal between Moscow and Kyiv at the end of July…

A further ten cargo ships are being loaded with grain in Ukrainian Black Sea ports and being prepared for shipment under a food export agreement brokered last month, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Friday.Ukraine’s grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports - a vital route for shipments - were closed, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.At the end of July…

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine on Thursday to show a "spirit of compromise" to ensure the continued success of a U.N. brokered deal that enabled Ukraine to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports.Guterres said after talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that 21 ships had departed from Ukrainian ports under the deal in less than a month, and 15 vessels had left Istanbul for Ukraine to load up with grain and other food supplies."Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine…

The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine more than five months ago left Odesa on Monday under a safe passage agreement that has raised hopes hundreds of other vessels will follow.But there are many hurdles to overcome before millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain depart from its Black Sea ports, which handle most of the corn, wheat, barley, sunflower seed and rapeseed exports of one of the world's top grain suppliers.Here are some…

Moscow said on Thursday that sanctions on Russia would have to be reviewed if it were to heed a U.N. appeal to open access to Ukraine's Black Sea ports so that grain could be exported, according to an Interfax news agency report. Read full storyUkraine, one of the world's biggest grain producers, used to export most of its goods through its seaports, but since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, it has been forced to export by train or via its small Danube River ports.U.N. food chief David Beasley appealed on Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin…

Ukraine on Wednesday called on Danube ports' grain transshipment companies to reduce prices or else the state will be forced to restrict them administratively, the agriculture ministry quoted deputy minister Taras Vysotskiy as saying.An interior ministry official said on Tuesday that with Ukraine's Black Sea ports blocked by Russia, grain exporters looking to use Danube ports had faced a rapid and unjustified increase in tariffs. "The creation of excessive demand from those wishing to transship grain has allowed service providers…

Indiana's three major shipping ports handled a record amount of cargo last year as a big jump in coal shipments helped them see 25 percent growth in 2018."The Ports of Indiana, which includes the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville and the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon, handled 14.8 million tons of cargo last year, a 25% increase over 2017 and a 21% increase over its previous record year in 2015," said a press statement.This was the first time the Ports of Indiana set records in each quarter, and the fifth consecutive year that the Ports of Indiana handled more than 10 million tons of cargo.Key drivers in this record-shattering year included coal shipments (up 58% from 2017)…

Russia's Far East Shipping Company (FESCO) and the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of India have extended the contract for supplying India’s research stations in Antarctica.“Vasiliy Golovnin” – an icebreaking cargo ship – will deliver general cargo, food products and fuel to Bharati and Maitri stations during Antarctica’s summer in 2019-2020.Scientists of the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research will also join the expedition for the research. The ship will start its voyage in December 2019.Under the previous contract, in 2019 the ship with 2 helicopters and a self-propelled barge were used to deliver more than 4 000 tons of cargo to Bharati and Maitri stations…

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has released the 2018 year-end statistics for cargo through the Port of Vancouver. The second consecutive year of record cargo volumes reflects Canada’s growing trade, said a press release.Overall cargo volume through Canada’s largest port reached a record high of 147 million tonnes, up 3.5 per cent from 2017, it said."One of the port’s biggest strengths continues to be the ability to accommodate the most diversified range of cargo of any port in North America. Sectors that experienced strong growth last year include containers, potash, canola products and barley, all of which hit new records in 2018," it added.In 2018, container volumes, measured in 20-foot equivalents or TEUs, increased by 4.4 per cent to a record 3.4 million TEUs.

The European Union (EU) has signed its largest-ever free trade agreement. This aims to boost the economies of the EU and Japan. For instance, the deal will reduce Customs duties and other trade obstacles, stimulate growth and create new jobs.After checking the legal formulation of the text and translation, the agreement will be submitted to the European Parliament and EU member states for approval. Ideally, the pact, which has been in preparation since 2013, can come into force before the European elections in 2019. How could it make itself felt in the Port of Hamburg? How has foreign trade with Japan previously developed?According to the European Commission, at the end of 2017 EU exports to Japan were expected to climb by between 16 and 24 percent.

China accused the United States of bullying and warned it would hit back after the Trump administration raised the stakes in their trade dispute, threatening 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods.China's commerce ministry said on Wednesday it was "shocked" and would complain to the World Trade Organisation, but did not immediately say how it would retaliate. In a statement, it called the U.S. actions "completely unacceptable".The foreign ministry described Washington's…

Hapag-Lloyd is investing in its container fleet and has ordered 11,100 state-of-the-art reefer containers. The new containers will be integrated to the company’s existing fleet of 91,000 reefer containers, with delivery gradually starting in August and to be finally completed by December 2018.Already today, Hapag-Lloyd has a significant footprint in the refrigerated container market and the company has continuously invested in new reefer equipment throughout the past years and also renewed a significant share of its fleet.Since 2015 alone and including the most recent order, the liner shipping company has purchased a total of 30,550 new reefers to ensure that it can offer modern equipment and sufficient seasonal availability to its customers…

Lineage Logistics  and Dreisbach Enterprises announced the official opening of Lineage Cool Port Oakland, the world’s latest next-generation cold storage and logistics facility.Set on 25 acres at the Port of Oakland’s waterfront, Cool Port will serve as the newest hub for temperature-controlled cargo transitioning through Northern California.Cool Port is a collaboration between warehousing and logistics industry leaders Lineage and Dreisbach, with additional funding and support from the Port of Oakland and the State of California. This combination brings together world-class cold-chain logistics expertise and steadfast commitment to innovation and community growth.“We are excited to expand Lineage’s dynamic…

Lineage Logistics Holdings, the world’s largest provider of temperature-controlled logistics solutions, announced it has signed definitive agreements to acquire Emergent Cold, the global cold chain services provider.This acquisition strengthens the Company’s leading port presence in the United States and signifies its entry into the Australian, New Zealand, and Sri Lankan temperature-controlled logistics markets, building on Lineage’s existing presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.“Food producers, manufacturers and retailers are looking for cold chain partners who can offer a dynamic and truly end-to-end temperature-controlled logistics solution…

Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on C$16.6 billion ($12.8 billion) worth of U.S. exports and challenge U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday.The Canadian tariffs are set to go into effect on July 1, 2018, and stay in place until the U.S. lifts its own measures, Freeland said, hours after the United States said it would impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Canada…