Potash News

Every day, nearly 60 fully loaded very large crude-oil carriers sail between the Persian Gulf and Chinese ports, carrying about half of the oil that powers the world's second-largest economy.As the vessels enter the South China Sea, they ply waters increasingly controlled by China's growing military, from the missile batteries and airfields at its bases on disputed islands to its stealthy Type 055 destroyers.But when crossing the Indian Ocean, joined by others headed to China from Africa and Brazil…

The world's biggest fertilizer producer Nutrien Ltd cut production on Tuesday, citing the impact of an 11-day-old strike in Canada's Pacific ports whose cost has now ballooned to an estimated C$5.5 billion ($4.2 billion).Some 7,500 dock workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) walked off on July 1 after failing to agree a new wage deal with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).The union says the BCMEA is refusing to give a fair pay increase despite making billions of dollars in profits in recent years.

Shipping across the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway system topped 4.2 million tons in October, led by strong gains in grain as well as potash, salt and other dry bulk cargos. Overall grain shipments reached 1.5 million tons, a reflection of the strong late harvest in various regions of the Great Lakes.“It’s great to see these positive numbers for the late harvesting of grain in the U.S. and Canada,” said Bruce Burrows, President & CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “The…

Jordan on Tuesday detained a cargo ship arriving from Egypt that was towed away after it strayed close to a natural coral reef reserve near the beach of the Red Sea port of Aqaba, port officials said.Any possible environmental damage caused by the drifting of the vessel, named Lotus, away from its route and into shallow waters near the 7-km-long marine reserve was being assessed, they said."Its route has been corrected and it has been towed to the pier and is safe," a port official told Reuters, adding that the ship was banned from leaving the port pending an investigation into why it strayed from its route and any damage caused.The cargo vessel had arrived earlier on Tuesday to load a shipment of potash from the city's fertilizer pier, an official said.The city of Aqaba's pristine coral r

Ukraine is seeking ways to get grain and vegetable oils out of the country by breaking a months-long blockade of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea by the Russian navy and moving more by land.The war, together with Western sanctions against Russia, have sent the price of grain, cooking oil, fertilizer, and energy soaring.That in turn, is threatening a global food crisis as many countries count on Russia and Ukraine for more than half of their wheat imports, including some of the poorest.Russia and Ukraine together account for nearly a third of the global wheat supply…

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…

Despite concern that sanctions against Russia would cause a shortfall of fertilizer in Brazil, preliminary shipping data shows orders being fulfilled and vessels heading for Brazil, potentially allowing a normal grain planting season.At least 24 vessels carrying almost 678,000 tonnes of Russian fertilizers from ports in the country are expected to reach Brazil in the next weeks, according to preliminary shipping data compiled by Agrinvest Commodities and seen by Reuters on Monday.Despite sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, the data show 11 of the 24 vessels left ports including Saint Petersburg and Murmansk after Feb. 24, when the war started.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko expects Russia to build a new Baltic Sea port for exports of Belarusian potash which were hit by Western sanctions, he said on Friday after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin.The two leaders met as Russia held military exercises in Belarus as part of a buildup of troops near Ukraine that has prompted Western warnings of an imminent Russian invasion. Moscow denies any such plan and says such warnings are dangerous.Belarus' state-owned Belaruskali is the world's second largest producer of the crop nutrient potash.

Canadian firm Westshore Terminals said Thursday it had executed a deal with BHP Canada Inc., a subsidiary of BHP Group, to provide port services to BHP’s proposed Jansen Potash Mine in Saskatchewan. The agreement is subject to approval by the Board of BHP and execution by BHP, after which the agreement would still be conditional on BHP making a final investment decision on Stage 1 of the Jansen Project. These decisions are entirely within the discretion of BHP, Westshore said  Thursday.If the Jansen Project does proceed…

Arab Potash Company's (APC) newest cutter suction dredger (CSD) was launched at Royal IHC’s shipyard in Krimpen a/d IJssel, The Netherlands, on Wednesday. APC will use Alyarmouk at its site in Jordan, where it will cut and remove crystallized salt under harsh conditions.The custom-built vessel is a 3,557-kilowatt CSD and a further developed copy of the dredger Jarash, which IHC delivered to APC in 2018.Alyarmouk is the last of three contracts signed between APC and IHC earlier this year.

Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC said Thursday it has signed three contracts with the Jordan-based Arab Potash Company (APC) to deliver two cutter suction dredgers (CSDs) and implement a new maintenance agreement. The first contract comprises the delivery of a custom-built CSD, the second is a three-year maintenance contract for the IHC dredgers Jarash and Mutah, and the third involves another dredger, which will be a copy of Jarash.The newly built CSD Alkaramah is based on a modified, innovative IHC Beaver 65 DDSP with three different working depth ranges: up to 18, 25 and 32 metres.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the largest port in Canada and the largest in the Pacific Northwest, has recorded new mid-year record for container volumes.Between January 1 and June 30, 2019, overall cargo through the port increased 0.5% to a record 72.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) over the same time last year, with new mid-year records in containers, potash, grain and cruise passengers.“This year’s record mid-year cargo volumes reflect what continues to be two of the Port of Vancouver’s greatest strengths—its broad global reach and ability to accommodate the most diversified range of cargo of any port in North America,” said Robin Silvester…

Longshore workers at Canada's biggest port, the Port of Vancouver, were locked out on Thursday in a labor dispute over technology changes, temporarily grinding most shipping there to a halt. The lockout ended in a deal on Thursday with their employer after a few hours, the workers' union said.A tentative agreement on a new contract was reached with the BC Maritime Employers Association, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada said in a statement. Jim Thompson, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada…

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.

Ultra Petroleum informed that David Honeyfield has been appointed to serve as CFO of the gas producer with assets in Wyoming’s Green River Basin.A press release from the energy company engaged in domestic natural gas and oil exploration, development and production said that Honeyfield has over 25 years of experience in the energy and natural resources fields with a strong background in accounting and the corporate management of public oil and gas companies.Most recently, Honeyfield served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PDC Energy, Inc. and Chief Financial Officer of Jonah Energy LLC. He has also served in various leadership roles including President and Chief Financial Officer of Intrepid Potash…

M/S Belnippon was delivered from Imabari Shipbuilding in January and has been fixed on time charter to Cargill for 10-13 months at USD 11,500/day, says a statement from Oslo-based bulk ship operator Belships. Belships concentrates on the dry bulk market, with 6 modern Supramax/Ultramax in service. M/S Belstar, M/S Belnor and M/S Belisland have continued the long-term contracts to Canpotex of Canada. Canpotex is one of the world's largest exporters of potash, a fertilizer product imported in large volumes by countries such as China, India and Brazil. M/S Belforest and M/S Belocean are both on time charter to Cargill. M/S Belocean was recently extended to Cargill for 6-8 months at USD 10,150/day effective from 1st February. All ships have sailed without significant off-hire.

Harvest, an ABS-classed articulated tug barge (ATB) purpose-built to transport liquefied anhydrous ammonia, has been delivered to a subsidiary of Savage Companies by U.S. shipbuilder Vigor. Harvest is the first complex liquefied ammonia transport barge built in the U.S. since 1982. “The delivery of this ATB represents a landmark achievement for all of the project stakeholders as well as the U.S. shipbuilding industry,” said ABS Americas Division President Jamie Smith. “The first-of-its-kind in over three decades, the Harvest will help reshape the U.S. fleet and support safer trading in U.S.

U.S. shipbuilder Vigor has launched The Harvest, the first complex liquefied ammonia transport barge built in the U.S. for Jones Act trade since 1982. The vessel was constructed to support the operations of The Mosaic Company, an integrated producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash. The Harvest will be operated by a subsidiary of Savage Companies as part of an articulated tug and barge (ATB) unit. “This is a significant project for both the maritime industry and our community,” said Vigor CEO, Frank Foti.

In the last two months of 2016, IHC saw a substantial increase in the sale of its vessels, equipment and engineering packages. Almost half of the total order intake over 2016 was secured in this period. “We see market recovery in the dredging and renewables industry, and are positive that this will continue in 2017,” says IHC CEO Dave Vander Heyde. One of the highlights of the year end includes the sale of a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Easydredge 2700 from stock. Supported by the Argentinean bank BICE, the vessel was sold to Dragados Argentinos DASA S.A. (DASA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. DASA is a new company, established by three leading dredging contractors in the country.

Total barge tonnage through the Port of Little Rock in August was 57,000 net tons. Dock activities continue to compare favorably to calendar year 2015 as Logistic Services, Inc. has handled 347 barges during the first half of 2016 year and 560,000 net tons of various commodities have moved across the docks at the Port of Little Rock. Break bulk commodities accounted for just over 50% of the total river tonnage for August. Cargoes handled across the docks included potash, rock, wetcake, bauxite, granite fines, wire rod coils, scrap metal, pipe and steel coils. The US Army Corps of Engineers reports that 921,119 tons of commodities moved through the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System in August 2016.

“We are about half-way through the 2016 navigation season and our overall cargo tonnage numbers are down by 11 percent,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. Sutton added, “Aluminum shipments supporting the automotive industry played a significant role in activity at the ports of Oswego, NY, Toledo, OH and Detroit, MI. We also saw wind energy parts moving through the Port of Ogdensburg, NY, headed for the new Jericho Rise Wind Farm project in upstate New York.

While U.S. ports have been busy, overall the beginning of the shipping season has been slower than anticipated. “Although the overall cargo numbers remain down when compared to the same time frame last year, in June we were above the five-year average,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Imports arriving in the Great Lakes Seaway System kept longshoremen busy during the month of June. About 45 ships arrived from 19 different countries with high value cargo like windmill components, machinery, aluminum ingots, steel, sugar, and general cargo.

Canpotex Ltd, the potash export sales arm for Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, Mosaic Co and Agrium Inc, said on Friday it would not build a planned shipping terminal at Prince Rupert in British Columbia. Canpotex said the decision was based on economic and commercial considerations and that its export capacity in Vancouver, Saint John and Portland were sufficient. Potash Corp Chief Executive Jochen Tilk had said in January that the suspension of production at an eastern Canadian mine could lead Canpotex to shelve plans to build the terminal.