The part of the business where money is quietly lost.
Grade gets negotiated once. Freight, documentation and demurrage get paid every single shipment. This page sets out exactly how a Silvestryn cargo moves, and who is responsible for what at each point.
How a US hardwood cargo actually moves
Silvestryn loads through eight Atlantic and Gulf ports — Norfolk (USORF), Baltimore (USBAL), Savannah (USSAV), Charleston (USCHS), New York / New Jersey (USNYC), Wilmington (USILM), Jacksonville (USJAX) and Houston (USHOU) — and picks between them per shipment on inland haul and sailing frequency rather than by standing arrangement. Veneer parcels, sawlogs and trial chip lots move in 40-foot high-cube containers; oversized log parcels go breakbulk; recurring pulpwood and chip tonnage goes on handysize or supramax bulk vessels.
Prices are quoted on EXW, FAS, FOB, CFR or CIF terms under Incoterms 2020, with FOB the most common basis for container and bulk business. Every cargo ships with a commercial invoice and packing list, ocean bill of lading, chamber-certified certificate of origin, USDA APHIS phytosanitary certificate, treatment certificate where required, a US Lacey Act legality declaration and — for EU-bound goods — an EUDR due-diligence statement reference. All of it is assembled while the cargo is still inland.
Six steps, in the order they actually happen.
- 01
Specification
You send species, grade, diameter, volume and destination port. We confirm what is realistic for the season and quote against a named Incoterm.
- 02
Sourcing
We buy against your specification from mills, loggers and landowners across the Appalachian, Northern and Central hardwood regions.
- 03
Grading & tally
Logs are graded and tallied at the concentration yard. You receive photographs and a piece-by-piece tally before anything moves to port.
- 04
Documentation
Phytosanitary inspection, legality declarations and — for the EU — the due-diligence statement are prepared while the cargo is still inland.
- 05
Loading
Container stuffing or bulk vessel loading at the port that fits your route. Loading photographs are sent the same day.
- 06
Sailing & release
Full document set issued against your agreed payment terms. We stay on the file until the cargo clears at destination.
Three loading modes, chosen by cargo — not by habit.
The right mode depends on your tonnage, your discharge facilities and how long your capital can sit on the water. We will tell you when containers beat bulk, even when bulk is the larger invoice.
Containerised
40' high-cube containers for veneer logs, sawlogs and trial chip lots. Suits repeating monthly volumes and gives you the widest choice of sailing dates. Logs are blocked and lashed; loading photographs are sent the day of stuffing.
Best for: veneer parcels, trial cargoes, buyers without bulk discharge
Breakbulk
Long or oversized log parcels loaded direct to vessel. Used where log length or diameter defeats a container, and where the parcel is large enough to justify the port handling.
Best for: large-diameter and long-length log parcels
Bulk vessel
Handysize and supramax parcels for pulpwood and chips. The economics only work above a certain tonnage, so we build these as scheduled programmes rather than one-off lots.
Best for: recurring chip and pulpwood tonnage
Eight gateways on the Atlantic and Gulf.
Port choice is a routing decision, not a loyalty one. We pick whichever combination of inland haul and sailing frequency lands your cargo soonest at the lowest all-in cost.
Norfolk
Virginia
Appalachian hardwood gateway
Baltimore
Maryland
Breakbulk and container
Savannah
Georgia
High-frequency container sailings
Charleston
South Carolina
Southeast hardwood
New York / New Jersey
New York
North Atlantic routes
Wilmington
North Carolina
Bulk and project cargo
Jacksonville
Florida
Chip and fibre volumes
Houston
Texas
Gulf bulk vessel loading
Europe
Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal and the Baltics. Every European shipment is prepared against EUDR due-diligence requirements.
Türkiye
İzmir, Gemlik and Mersin — a core market, and also where our slicing operation sits. American logs are landed, cut to face-veneer specification and re-exported from here.
India
Kandla, Mundra and Chennai. Growing MDF capacity is driving sustained hardwood chip and pulpwood demand.
Middle East
UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, serving panel producers and furniture manufacturing clusters.
The full document set, prepared inland.
Demurrage is almost always a paperwork failure wearing a logistics costume. Every item below is assembled while the cargo is still upcountry, so nothing is being chased once a vessel is on the water.
Commercial invoice & packing list
Line-item tally with grade, dimension and volume per piece or lot.
Bill of lading
Ocean B/L issued on loading; telex release or originals as agreed.
Certificate of origin
Chamber-of-commerce certified, stating US origin of the goods.
Phytosanitary certificate
Issued by USDA APHIS against the plant-health requirements of the destination country.
Fumigation or heat-treatment certificate
Where the importing country requires treatment; ISPM 15 marking on all dunnage.
Legality declaration
US Lacey Act declaration with harvest-state and species documentation.
EUDR due-diligence statement
For EU-bound cargo: geolocation of harvest, legality evidence and DDS reference number.
Inspection & tally sheets
Independent survey on request — SGS, Bureau Veritas or buyer-nominated surveyor.
What you receive, and when
Draft documents go to you for approval before originals are issued. Once you confirm, originals are couriered or the bill of lading is telex released against your agreed payment terms. If your bank or customs broker needs a specific wording, tell us at contract stage — changing a certificate after issue costs days.
What buyers ask about ports, terms and paperwork.
Which US ports does Silvestryn load hardwood from?
Eight Atlantic and Gulf ports: Norfolk (USORF), Baltimore (USBAL), Savannah (USSAV), Charleston (USCHS), New York / New Jersey (USNYC), Wilmington (USILM), Jacksonville (USJAX) and Houston (USHOU). Port choice is a routing decision made per shipment, based on inland haul and sailing frequency.
Can hardwood logs ship in containers, or do they need breakbulk?
Most veneer parcels, sawlogs and trial chip lots ship in 40-foot high-cube containers, blocked and lashed, with loading photographs sent the day of stuffing. Breakbulk is used where log length or diameter defeats a container. Bulk vessels — handysize and supramax — carry recurring pulpwood and chip tonnage.
What documents come with a US hardwood export shipment?
Commercial invoice and packing list, ocean bill of lading, chamber-certified certificate of origin, USDA APHIS phytosanitary certificate, fumigation or heat-treatment certificate where required, a US Lacey Act legality declaration, an EUDR due-diligence statement for EU cargo, and inspection and tally sheets.
What is an EUDR due-diligence statement?
It is the declaration an operator must file before placing timber on the EU market under the EU Deforestation Regulation, evidencing geolocation of the harvest area and legal harvest. We prepare that pack while the cargo is still inland and issue the DDS reference before sailing, so your customs broker is never waiting on us.
What payment terms does Silvestryn accept?
First shipments are typically on an irrevocable letter of credit at sight, or a deposit against balance on presentation of documents. Established programmes move to terms that suit the cadence of the contract. We discuss terms before you commit to a specification, not after the cargo is graded.
Who is responsible for demurrage?
Responsibility follows the Incoterm, but the underlying cause is usually preventable. Demurrage in this trade is almost always a documentation failure, which is why phytosanitary inspection, legality declarations and the EU due-diligence statement are all assembled while the cargo is still upcountry.