Animal Feed Ingredients Shipping by Sea

Unicore is a specialist ocean forwarder for animal feed ingredients, moving roughly 100 TEU per month worldwide, mostly on a cross-trade (third-country) basis. Dry products — fishmeal, soybean, sunflower and rapeseed meal, DDGS — travel in bulk or bags, while liquids — fish oil, vegetable oils and molasses — move in flexitanks or ISO tank containers. Some fishmeal is classified as IMO dangerous goods ( UN 1374, Class 4.2 unstabilized / UN 2216, Class 9 stabilized), so accurate dangerous-goods documentation is essential. We manage the whole chain from the load port to delivery, including SGS surveys, certificates and switch bills of lading.

What Counts as Feed Ingredients — and How They Pack

Feed ingredients are the intermediate raw materials that feed mills blend into finished feed. They split into dry (meals, cakes, pellets) and liquid (oils, molasses, liquid additives). The packing format dictates the container type:

Not sure whether a bulk liner or bags suit your dry cargo? See our guide on choosing the right container.

Liquid Cargo: Flexitank vs ISO Tank Container

Feed oils and molasses move in two ways. A flexitank is a single-use polyethylene bladder dropped into a standard 20' container; an ISO tank is a reusable stainless-steel tank in a frame. The choice drives cost, volume and whether the cargo can be hazardous or heated.

Flexitank Installation & SGS Survey

Loading a flexitank is a controlled process. For food and feed oils the container must be suitable, and the installation is usually witnessed by an independent surveyor (e.g. SGS). Our fish-oil loadings typically use a 24,000 L flexitank with a bottom-load/bottom-discharge (BL/BD) valve and an SGS-approved container selection. The container must meet criteria such as:

• Clean and dry, free of previous-cargo residues, odours, stains or burn marks.
• Even corrugations along the full length, with no flattened panels, sharp edges, protruding screws or nails that could puncture the bladder.
• Walls and floor lined with corrugated cardboard; the flexitank centred, and a bulkhead fitted at the door end to hold back the cargo pressure.
• Valve operational and set to “CLOSE”, dust cap fitted; previous-cargo markings removed and a warning label secured on the door.

SGS checks both the container selection and the flexitank installation, issuing a photo-documented report (Container Selection & Flexitank Installation Control Check List). That report is your evidence if the oil arrives contaminated or damaged — much like a data logger in the cold chain.

Fishmeal as Dangerous Goods: UN 1374 & UN 2216

Fishmeal contains fat that releases heat as it oxidises — the product self-heats and, if the heat cannot escape, can ignite. That is why fishmeal is regulated as dangerous goods, and the classification depends on stabilisation:

In practice we ship the stabilized Class 9 grade (UN 2216). To accept it, the carrier requires specific conditions:

• Antioxidant: ethoxyquin, BHT/BHA or a tocopherol blend at a concentration that delivers at least the IMSBC residual level at loading; an antioxidant certificate stating type, dose and treatment date is required.
• Moisture and fat: typically moisture 5–12% and fat no more than ~12–15% (exact limits per the IMSBC Code); evidenced by a certificate of analysis.
• Loading temperature: the cargo must be no warmer than 35°C and not more than 5°C above ambient; a temperature certificate is required, and often a production date (the meal must be cured before loading).
• Declarations: for packaged cargo an IMDG dangerous-goods declaration; for bulk an IMSBC cargo declaration; in both cases the carrier's DG approval before booking.

For the fundamentals see our guide on what are dangerous goods.

Cross-Trade: Shipments That Never Touch Latvia

Most of our feed volume is cross-trade — cargo loads in one third country and discharges in another, all arranged from Latvia. Typical lanes: fishmeal and oil from Peru, Chile or Mauritania to Vietnam, China or West Africa; soy and sunflower products from South America and the Black Sea region to the Middle East and Asia.

• Switch / neutral bill of lading: lets us separate the buy and sell side so the end buyer does not see the original supplier's details, and vice versa.
• Centralised documentation: booking, DG/IMSBC declarations, certificates of analysis and veterinary papers are coordinated from one office, whatever the load port.
• Volume leverage: roughly 100 TEU/month secures stable rates and capacity with the major carriers even in peak season.

For a worked example see our animal feed to Africa case study.

Documentation & Compliance

• Certificate of analysis (CoA): protein, moisture, fat, ash — for both quality and DG classification.
• Feed safety: GMP+ International or FAMI-QS scheme where the buyer or destination country requires it.
• Animal origin: for fishmeal/oil, a veterinary (health) certificate and, when importing into the EU, a CHED entry in the TRACES system.
• ISO tank cleaning: an EFTCO cleaning certificate (ECD) proves the tank is clean of the previous cargo and food/feed-grade ready.
• DG set: IMSBC/IMDG declaration, antioxidant certificate, temperature certificate and the carrier's DG approval (for fishmeal).

For an overview of export formalities see our guide on export customs documents.

How Unicore Helps with Feed Cargo

• Specialist volume — roughly 100 TEU/month of feed ingredients secures stable rates and capacity with the major carriers across many lanes.
• Dangerous-goods competence — correct UN 1374 / UN 2216 classification, IMSBC/IMDG declarations, and verification of antioxidant and temperature certificates before booking.
• Liquid solutions — flexitank and ISO tank supply, BL/BD installation and independent SGS surveys on first loadings.
• Cross-trade handling — switch bills of lading, neutral documentation and single-point coordination between any two countries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is fishmeal classified as dangerous goods?

Fishmeal self-heats and can ignite. Unstabilized (no antioxidant) is UN 1374, Class 4.2 and is generally not accepted for ocean carriage. Stabilized — with an antioxidant, and moisture and fat within IMSBC limits — is UN 2216, Class 9. We ship the stabilized grade with an antioxidant certificate, a certificate of analysis and a loading-temperature certificate (no warmer than 35°C and not more than 5°C above ambient).

Flexitank or ISO tank for feed oils?

A flexitank (16,000–24,000 L) is a single-use bladder in a standard 20' container — cheaper, no return logistics, ideal for one-way non-hazardous fish or vegetable oil and molasses. An ISO tank is a reusable stainless tank (up to ~26,000 L) — pricier but suited to heated or dangerous-goods cargo and regular lanes. We match the choice to product, volume and lane.

What does cross-trade mean for feed shipments?

Cross-trade means the cargo never touches our home country — for example fishmeal from Peru to Vietnam, arranged from Latvia. We handle the booking, DG/IMSBC documentation, certificates and a switch bill of lading so commercial details stay confidential. Most of our ~100 TEU/month moves this way.

How are dry feed ingredients packed?

Dry meals and cakes (fishmeal, soybean, sunflower, rapeseed meal, DDGS) travel in bulk with a polypropylene bulk liner in a standard box, in 25/50 kg bags or in 500–1,250 kg big bags. The format depends on the product's flow properties and the receiver's discharge facilities.

What documentation is required?

Beyond the bill of lading and invoice — a certificate of analysis, a feed-safety declaration (GMP+ / FAMI-QS), and for products of animal origin a veterinary certificate with a TRACES entry into the EU. Dangerous-goods grades add an IMSBC/IMDG declaration, antioxidant and temperature certificates; ISO tanks need an EFTCO cleaning certificate (ECD). We prepare and check the set before the cargo reaches the port.