A grain terminal in Chornomorsk says it loaded 46,320 tonnes of wheat aboard a single bulk carrier in 12 hours on 29 October, a pace its operators say is the fastest ever independently measured at a Black Sea port. The result was nearly a quarter above the terminal’s previous best, and was confirmed after calibrated belt scales produced a higher figure than managers expected.
The vessel, the fictional-flagged Aster Vale, sailed with a 71,000-tonne cargo after loading through three conveyor lines at the Tovka Marine Grain terminal. The company said the measured average was 3,860 tonnes an hour, compared with its earlier estimate of about 3,100. The result could make Chornomorsk more attractive to exporters seeking to move large cargoes quickly.
Scales beat the estimate
Terminal engineers had expected the new conveyor arrangement to lift the rate to around 3,300 tonnes an hour. Instead, readings held above 3,700 for most of the loading window, according to Valérie S. Lalonde, the site’s chief engineer. “We thought we had a strong run. We did not expect the scales to keep climbing after the first hour,” she said.
The test used belt scales that weigh grain as it travels from storage silos to the ship’s loading arms. The devices were checked before and after the operation by Meridian Weighing Laboratory, a private calibration firm hired by the terminal. Its technicians found a difference of less than 0.4% between the scales and a separate cargo-weight calculation, the company said.
Exporters chase faster slots
The figures have already changed commercial talks. Tovka said it had received requests from four exporters for loading slots in November and December, and expects to charge a premium for guaranteed berthing windows. A new annual handling agreement announced on Friday is valued at ₴400 million (about €8.9 million), though the customer’s name was not disclosed.
For exporters, faster loading can cut the time ships spend waiting at anchor and reduce the cost of hired vessels. Otto Sjöberg, a port consultant who reviewed the published weighing results, said the rate was “exceptional, but not physically implausible” with three lines operating together. He cautioned that one fast cargo does not show what the terminal can sustain across a full season.
A rival grain handler questioned whether the headline average included pauses to reposition the ship’s loading arms. Tovka said its clock ran continuously from the first grain entering the vessel to the last, including brief stops. Nika A. Knežević, a port operations official, said inspectors would compare the terminal’s next cargo figures with ship records before describing the result as a lasting benchmark.
Ukraine’s Black Sea export route remains commercially important as grain traders balance shipping costs, insurance and uncertain travel times. Tovka says it plans to publish readings from three further vessels by the end of November. If the rates hold, exporters may shift cargoes toward Chornomorsk; if they fall, the eye-catching first run may prove an expensive one-off.
