Maaden exports DAP via Oman
Published by Oliver Kleinschmidt,
Deputy Editor
World Fertilizer,
Saudi phosphate producer Maaden has announced that it will load a 60 000 t DAP cargo at Duqm, Oman, in late August or early September – for shipment to India, as reported by Argus Media.
Maaden will also load the 55 000 t of DAP it sold to buyers in east Africa earlier this month from Duqm in September, likely netting back to between the mid-US$890s/t and mid-US$900s/t fob.
It will need to transport the DAP by truck from its facilities at Ras Al-Khair on the Mideast Gulf.
Maaden had been sending Ras Al-Khair exports through the strait of Hormuz. But after the strait's effective closure at the end of February, it resorted to trucking product to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast – mostly Yanbu.
Eastbound exports from Saudi Red Sea ports need to either cross the Bab El-Mandeb strait, or take the longer route through the Suez canal and around Africa.
Threats from Yemen's Houthi militants to Saudi shipping in late July have heightened risks in the Red Sea, especially around Bab el-Mandeb.
Argus understands that the freight cost for a 60 000 t bulk DAP cargo from Saudi Red Sea ports to India is around US$40/t, while the rate from Duqm to India is in the US$20s/t. But congestion at Omani ports is reportedly high, pushing up demurrage rates. And hefty war risk premiums still apply to shipments in the region.
Maaden trimmed its 2026 phosphate production guidance to the equivalent of 6 million - 6.5 million t of DAP in its latest quarterly results, citing a lack of sulphur and high logistical costs.
Article originally written by Tom Hampson for Argus Media.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/phosphates/21082026/maaden-exports-dap-via-oman/