CARRIAGE OF BULK SOYA BEAN CARGO: AN OVERVIEW FOR THE MARITIME SECTOR ISSUE 14 // FEBRUARY 2026 BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION THE CARRIAGE OF SOYA BEAN CARGOES REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF AGRICULTURAL BULK TRADE. Soya beans are an oilseed crop cultivated primarily for their high protein and oil content. They form the raw material for a range of products including vegetable oil, animal feed, and industrial applications such as for biodiesel. In recent decades, the demand for both soya bean oil and soya bean meal has grown rapidly, driven by an increase in livestock cultivation in Asia. OUR PARTNER FOR THIS ISSUE The CWA Food & Agricultural Commodities department provides expert advice on a range of food, feed and other dry agricultural commodities, across the entire supply chain from field to consumer and especially relating to the shipment of these commodities as bulk, break-bulk, bagged, bottled, drummed, refrigerated, frozen and containerised cargoes. The department applies scientific and commercial expertise to quality management in the international trade of food, feed and other agricultural commodities, with particular regard to damage causation, quantum, food safety and loss prevention. The department also assists in loss mitigation by applying its scientific, operational and commercial experience to advice on cargo utilisation, salvage and disposal. THE LARGEST PRODUCERS AND EXPORTERS OF SOYA BEANS ARE BRAZIL, THE UNITED STATES, AND ARGENTINA. China remains the largest importer of soya beans, hitting a record high of 12.9 million tonnes in September 2025 and standing at 86.18 million tonnes for the first nine months of 2025. The Brazilian ANEC figures show that China is Brazil’s largest soya bean export destination, accounting for over 79 % of the country’s soya beans exports 1 . Soya bean crop is harvested once a year, between September and November in the Northern hemisphere and between December and June in the Southern hemisphere 2 . Soya beans are carried as bulk cargo on board bulk carrier vessels for international trade. The beans are transported to processing plants following discharge from vessels where the beans are crushed to extract oil and to produce soya bean meal. In recent years, the global trade pattern for soya beans has shifted significantly. China has reduced imports from the United States due to tariff measures and broader geopolitical tensions amongst the two countries. This has led to an increased reliance on South America, particularly Brazil as the key exporter of soya beans for the Chinese market. This shift has important implications for the maritime industry. Even so, there have also been recent reports of China suspending or rejecting some Brazilian shipments of soya beans related to concerns over pesticide levels due to contamination with other grains. The route between Brazil and China is associated with a high volume of cargo claims, this reflects both the scale of the trade and the challenges presented by the voyage. The journey from Brazil to China is notably longer, often exceeding 30-40 days. The cargo is also exposed to a wide variation in temperature as vessels transit through equatorial and tropical climates. While vessels from the United States also pass through such regions, the longer voyage duration from Brazil increases the time the cargo spends in transit. It is during this time which any instability may result in cargo deterioration. While the high number of claims is in part due t