Delo Group launched regular transportation and port handling of mineral fertilizers with specialized containers of Global Ports’ (Russia’s leading marine terminal operator, part of Delo Group) through the terminals in St. Petersburg. The first batch of cargo for EuroChem Mineral and Chemical Company was handled with container technology and shipped from the Petrolesport terminal in August.

The fertilizers were first loaded into special containers directly at the manufacturing plant without removing containers from the flatcars. Transportation by rail to the port was provided by TransContainer (part of Delo Group). Upon accumulating the shipment at the terminal, the cargo was unloaded from containers directly into the vessel’s hold for further shipment by sea. In the future, transportation and handling of bulk cargo with Global Ports’ own containers at Petrolesport and FCT terminals (both part of Global Ports) will be made on a regular basis.

EuroChem is Global Ports’ first client for the new service. In April 2023, the parties signed an agreement under which the fertilizer producer intends to ship up to 100,000 tonnes of cargo a month in Global Ports’ containers to the Port of St. Petersburg for further marine bulk shipment.

“We continue to develop new products meeting market demands and the changing cargo flows at the Baltic basin. With Global Ports’ comprehensive service for containerizing bulk cargo, our customers can optimize their cargo operations at the production facilities and in the port and reduce costs,” notes Albert Likholet, CEO of Global Ports.

The use of specialized container equipment enables manufacturers to ship bulk cargo from their production sites to the port in container trains. Compared to traditional transportation in gondola cars and mineral wagons, the technology will allow to speed up logistics, separately store different brands of products in the port and accumulate any combination of shiploads. Loading into the hold from a specialized container is safer and more environmentally friendly. Global Ports implements the service in partnership with TransContainer, which provides rail transportation services and container flatcars for specialized containers.

Global Ports acquired its own fleet of 4,000 20-foot specialized containers in 2023, launching a new customer service for the shipment, storage, and transshipment of bulk cargo for chemical industry companies.

First batch transhipment video is here.