AX
RECAPS GRAIN
The MV Hanjin Rosario was the first
Chinese Panamax ship to be loaded
by Louis-Dreyfus. This ship has ties
to United Ag, because it contained
grain sorghum from our growers.
of grain, which is close to 65 percent of the storage capacity at United
Ag. There were seven grain holds, or pits, along the ship that each
stored up to 460,000 bushels of grain.
The United Ag crew had the rare opportunity to crawl to the bottom of an empty grain hold. After conquering steep ladders, dark
spaces, and an endless spiral staircase, everyone finally made it to the
bottom of the hold — only to realize climbing back up was the only
way out. It was amazing how small everyone felt as they gazed toward
the top of the grain pit.
The bulk ship would take seven to ten days to finish loading and
would then be on its way to China. It would travel back down the
Gulf of Mexico, through the Panama Canal, then cross over the Pacific Ocean toward China.
The journey back would take an estimated one to two months.
United Ag’s grain team, from left to right, Steven Craig,
Lindsey Bowers, Denny Krenek, Haley Henly and Drew
Mahaffey, had the opportunity to crawl to the bottom of an
empty grain hold in a Panamax ship, which can carry
3.2 million bushels of grain — 65 percent of United Ag’s
storage capacity.
The Panamax is
currently the largest
ship that can fit through
the Panama Canal.
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