London — A coaster carrying wheat for transhipment at the Russian port of Kavkaz was rejected by the Rostov phytosanitary laboratory, sources said, as new, more rigorous plant-health checks become applicable Friday.
Delays at shallow water ports, which stand at around a week, have also started to feed into loading programs at ports such as Kavkaz where Panamax-size vessels are typically supplied by coaster vessels.
"Some Panamaxes and Supramaxes are not being allowed into Kavkaz. There is no space for anchorage due to the checks," a source said.
Despite these delays, the All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center, VNIIKR, will start new virological and bacteriological checks Friday, according to sources.
Exports to destinations such as Israel, Jordan, Sudan, Nigeria, will be given an additional four days for virological tests and seven days for bacteriological tests. VNIIKR could not be reached for comment.
Due to the mounting delays, wheat sellers on coasters are now only operating on the spot market once again to minimize uncertainty.
"Everybody is now operating on the spot market to avoid defaults. To secure a cargo now you have to pay a premium due the congestion causing demurrage," a source said.
Following complaints by destination buyers of Black Sea wheat cargoes containing weeds and other diseases, Russian phytosanitary checks have become more rigorously and frequently applied this marketing year, leading to slowdowns in the pace of loading and the avoidance of particular destinations in South East Asia by some sellers.
