Record canola cargo arrives

Archer Daniels Midland's newest ocean-going vessel, the MV Harvest Frost, has completed delivery of its record-setting Australian canola cargo to ADM's Europoort transhipping and crushing facility in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

ADM took delivery of the Harvest Frost on October 29 and the vessel was loaded with 77,612 tonnes of WA canola from CBH's Kwinana Port Terminal on November 18, the largest single shipment of canola to leave Australian shores.

The vessel embarked on its 40-day journey via the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and headed up the West African coast and east coast of France to the Dutch city of Rotterdam.

The majority of the seed was transferred to the on-site crushing facility at the port, while the remainder was reloaded on to barges and shipped to other ADM inland European facilities.

Ernst-Jan Verhoeff, general manager of ADM's Europoort facility, said Australian seed was traditionally drier and contained lower oil compared to European seed, because of a number of factors.

"However, early analysis of the seed received from Western Australia suggests the oil content from the 2014-15 harvest is higher than previous seasons," he said. "This continues to make it a great fit for a vast range of products."

General manager of ADM grain in Australia Tim Henry said the company was proud to set a national record with the MV Harvest Frost's maiden voyage.