Klaveness Dry Bulk completes milestone clinker shipment
Image: Vessel loading in Cam Pha, Vietnam
In August 2026, Klaveness Dry Bulk completed its first cement clinker shipment in several years, loading in Cam Pha, Vietnam, and discharging in Ivory Coast, Africa. The voyage marked a milestone in a trade that is evolving alongside changing supply chains and port infrastructure.
Traditionally, clinker imports to West Africa have been carried on geared vessels. However, changing market conditions and reduced steel production in Europe has shifted sourcing patterns, with clinker increasingly sourced from Vietnam and South China and transported on larger, gearless Panamax vessels. At scale, these vessels can benefit from trading positions closer to the vibrant East Coast South America grain markets, in turn helping eliminate ballast voyages.
At the same time, significant investments in port infrastructure across West Africa have expanded opportunities for these larger vessels. While we, together with the various stakeholders involved in the voyage, continue to face the challenges of port congestion, we see this as an interesting and evolving trade pattern.
At Klaveness Dry Bulk and Baumarine, we will continue to support this trade and be a committed partner, helping move cargo efficiently between Asia and West Africa while supporting industrial growth and infrastructure development in the region.