Russian wheat via the Caspian Sea — Astrakhan corridor and Bandar Abbas
Two commercial corridors, not one country page. Short-sea wheat from Astrakhan to Iranian Caspian terminals, or a deep-sea stem to Bandar Abbas when the lot needs a larger vessel. Iran overview: Russia–Iran grain.
- Caspian: Astrakhan → Iranian Caspian terminals
- Deep-sea alternative: Bandar Abbas for larger vessels
- Wheat, barley, corn · weekly indicative prices · escrow
Caspian route · at a glance
Choose the water by lot size and mill location.
| Primary corridor | Astrakhan → Iranian Caspian terminals |
|---|---|
| Deep-sea alternative | Bandar Abbas (larger vessels) |
| Headline grain | Milling wheat (12.5% typical) |
| Also on this water | Feed barley · corn |
| Prices | Weekly indicative · firm offer on enquiry |
| Onward | DAP Afghanistan via Iran |
Caspian short-sea vs Bandar Abbas deep-sea
The Caspian corridor loads at Astrakhan and discharges at Iranian Caspian terminals (Anzali, Neka, Amirabad on the live Iran page). It is the short water: no Bosphorus, no Suez, no Mediterranean. It is the right commercial choice when the mill or silo sits in northern Iran and the lot fits the vessels that actually work the Caspian. Draft, hold size and seasonal navigation all cap how large a Caspian stem can be. That is a feature, not a footnote. Buyers who try to force a Black Sea Panamax onto the Caspian are on the wrong corridor.
Bandar Abbas is the alternative when the programme needs a larger vessel. Grain loads on the Black Sea — Novorossiysk, Tuapse or Taman — and sails to the Persian Gulf. The mill then takes the cargo at a deep-sea terminal instead of a Caspian quay. Use Bandar Abbas when volume, vessel availability or southern Iranian logistics dominate the file. Use Astrakhan when northern discharge and a smaller Caspian vessel are cheaper and faster for that mill. MOSTAGRO quotes both. We do not pretend they are the same voyage. The Iran market page explains why Iran buys Russian wheat, barley and corn. This route page exists to pick the water.
- Caspian: Astrakhan load · Iranian Caspian discharge
- Bandar Abbas: Black Sea load · larger deep-sea vessel
- Decision drivers: mill location, lot size, vessel class
- Same escrow and SGS mechanic on both corridors
Wheat first — barley and corn on the same corridor
Headline cargo is Russian milling wheat. The specification Iranian millers already know from Black Sea trade still applies here: GOST 9353-2016, protein 11.5–14% with 12.5% the usual export grade, wet gluten 23–32%, falling number at least 250 seconds, moisture at most 13.5%. SGS inspects before the vessel sails. Bulk lots run 3,000–60,000 MT where the water and the terminal allow it; bagged wheat starts at 500 MT in 50 kg or 1 MT big-bags. Caspian vessel class will often sit toward the lower end of that bulk range. Bandar Abbas can take the upper end. That is another reason the two corridors are separate commercial products, not two bullets on a country page.
Feed barley and corn move on the same Astrakhan and Bandar Abbas water when a livestock or poultry mill wants a combined programme. They do not replace wheat as the search intent of this URL. Weekly indicative prices are issued for the corridor; they are indications, not a published CIF or FOB dollar table on this page. Firm offers follow grade, volume, named discharge and Incoterm. CIF to an Iranian Caspian terminal or to Bandar Abbas is quoted case-by-case. We do not invent a Caspian freight number. The only indicative FOB figure already on the site is USD 165 / MT FOB Novorossiysk for 12.5% milling wheat on milling wheat — a Black Sea load-port reference, useful when the Bandar Abbas stem starts FOB, not a Caspian CIF.
Escrow on both corridors — DAP Afghanistan after Iran
Payment on Caspian and Bandar Abbas stems is the same digital-asset escrow used on MOSTAGRO’s other routes. Funds lock at contract signing and release against the shipping documents: bill of lading, phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin, SGS report. No bank letter of credit is required. That mechanic matters on this corridor because the two waters have different documentary geographies — a Caspian B/L is not a Bandar Abbas B/L — but the release logic is identical: the inspector’s certificate and the B/L unlock the escrow, not a relationship manager in a correspondent bank.
Some buyers are not the end mill in Iran. They take Russian wheat or flour through Iran and continue overland into Afghanistan under DAP, typically in 50 kg bags or 1 MT big-bags so the cargo can be handled without silos. That onward product is specified on Afghanistan — DAP. This route page is the sea leg that feeds it: Astrakhan to a Caspian terminal, or Bandar Abbas for a larger vessel, then truck if the contract says DAP. Do not collapse the two into one Incoterm. CIF or FOB to Iran is one contract. DAP Afghanistan is another, even when MOSTAGRO quotes both in the same conversation.
Send corridor (Caspian or Bandar Abbas), grain (wheat 12.5%
unless otherwise), volume, packing and whether you need onward
DAP to
or
+972 55-507-1227. Quote within
24 hours. Logistics detail that is shared across all load ports
— NOR, laycan, demurrage, bulk versus bags — sits on
logistics and, for Black Sea FOB
loading,
FOB Novorossiysk. Use
this URL when the search is Caspian Sea wheat or the
Astrakhan–Iran water, not when the search is “Iran grain
market.”
Caspian Sea wheat — questions
When should we use the Caspian Sea instead of Bandar Abbas?
Use the Caspian (Astrakhan to Iranian Caspian terminals) when the lot fits Caspian vessel size and the mill or silo is in northern Iran. Use Bandar Abbas when the programme needs a larger deep-sea vessel from the Black Sea via the Bosphorus and Suez.
Which grains move on this corridor?
Wheat is the headline grade (milling wheat, typically 12.5% protein under GOST 9353-2016). Feed barley and corn move on the same Caspian and Bandar Abbas water. Weekly indicative prices are issued; firm offers follow the enquiry.
Can this corridor continue overland to Afghanistan?
Yes. After Iranian discharge, grain or flour can move overland under DAP to Afghanistan in 50 kg bags or 1 MT big-bags. That onward leg is documented on the Afghanistan market page; this route page covers the sea corridors that feed it.
How is payment handled on Caspian and Bandar Abbas stems?
Digital-asset escrow. Funds lock at contract signing and release against shipping documents (B/L, phytosanitary, certificate of origin, SGS). No bank letter of credit is required.
Astrakhan or Bandar Abbas — name the water
Grade, volume and corridor — firm quote within 24 hours.