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Gard’s correspondent, Proinde, reported in March that despite a slow start, the Brazilian soybean production this season is set for another record at 135.5 mmt accounting for more than 37% of the world production.  The main destination for Brazilian soya beans is China accounting for over 65% of the shipments.

 

Gard has recently seen an increase in claims in China arising from microbiological instability of the soya beans and resulting self-heating.  Soya beans naturally contain mould spores that under certain conditions grow and produce heat within a stow which can result in caking, visible mould and darkening of the beans. Whether soya beans will self-heat in this way is determined by the moisture content of the beans at loading, the temperature of the beans when loaded and the time the beans remain on board before discharge. The higher the moisture content and temperature at loading, the shorter the safe storage time for the beans.   

Soya Bean Shipping – A Master’s tool kit to reduce cargo claims contains videos, checklists and templates suitable for onboard use. All loss prevention articles are compiled here