INDUSTRY NEWS
Shipping almonds to the world
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MORE than 80 per cent of Australia ’ s almond crop is exported . Once the kernels have been processed , it ’ s freight forwarders and customs brokers like Brian Mousley from Tayper in Port Adelaide who play a vital role in getting Australian almonds overseas . “ There ’ s a lot of moving parts , and there ’ s never a dull moment ,” he said . Mr Mousley has been coordinating almond exports for 21 years . This started with Select Harvests . Back then two and a half to five containers were dispatched per week and the season ran for three months . Now up to 150 to 200 12m containers filled with almonds leave the Port of Adelaide per week and the season is almost year round . There ’ s not a lot of spare room in the company ’ s warehouse at the moment . It ’ s stacked with almonds from six different processors / marketers . To cater for this growth , Tayper is
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about to develop a transfer area , There where shipping containers can be loaded on and off trucks . This will result in the existing office being demolished and staff will move to a building on the corner of Evans Street and Francis Street , which is in the process of being refurbished . The largest export markets from Australian almonds are India and China , but inshell and kernels are sent to more than 50 countries . There ’ s no direct shipping to India . Vessels usually stop in Singapore , Malaysia or Sri Lanka . Then a second carrier takes the almonds on to India and they are primarily unloaded at Nhava Sheva or Mundra and then the almonds are distributed via rail . During COVID the cost of shipping skyrocketed . Prior to the pandemic sending a 12m container to Nhava Sheva cost between $ 1,200 and $ 1,400 US and it went to more than $ 10,000 US . The price has stablised in recent months and is currently sitting around $ 1,600 to $ 2,000 US , with some lines already asking for a premium on that figure . But Mr Mousley warns the price could increase again . “ There ’ s a massive strain on empty containers in Australia because of the Red Sea dispute ,” he said . He ’ s forecasting the number of carriers or the size of vessels will reduce . ahead of time isn ’ t easy .
In A Nutshell - Spring 2025 Vol 25 Issue 3
' s a lot of moving parts , and there ' s never a dull moment .
- Tayper ' s Brian Mousley
“ Six shipping lines control 70 to 80 per cent of world trade ,” Mr Mousley said . Due to the dispute in the Red Sea , ships are going around Africa and this is adding three weeks onto the trip to Singapore . “ There ’ s also significant imports from China arriving in the United States due to concerns that if Donald Trump is re-elected he ’ ll introduce tariffs ,” Mr Mousley said . Vessel bunching is becoming more frequent in Australia too . “ In four days eight ships will load and discharge and then we ’ ll have nothing for several days ,” Mr Mousley said . “ This is happening at all Australian ports .” It usually takes a week to pack a shipping container and get it to the terminal , due to the fumigation and inspection requirements , but there are times where this work has been done in just three days . Trying to pre-empt what is needed
ABOVE : Tayper freight forwarder and customs broker Brian Mousley has seen plenty of change in almond exports over the past 21 years .
TOP : Almonds in Tayper ' s Port Adelaide warehouse waiting to be shipped .
Tayper is requesting cover bookings with the shipping lines up to nine weeks in advance , especially for vessels heading to China . Mr Mousley also runs an importing and third party business called Sideloader Express Transport ( SET ). Together these two businesses employ 55 people , including drivers who are a mixture of permanent and subcontractors .