Egypt turns to France for wheat as Black Sea war disrupts routes

Two vessels are due to call at France in the coming days to load wheat for Egypt, according to shipping data and traders, in another sign of demand shifting due to war disruption to Black Sea routes.

The Nana Leen and Genoa bulk carriers are expected to arrive on August 30 at the port of La Pallice on France’s west coast, where they will each load around 30,000 tonnes of wheat, the data showed.

The details of the export shipments were not immediately clear. But traders said the timing suggested a possible replacement of Russian or Ukrainian supplies.

Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, sourced more than 80 per cent of its wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine in the first half of 2026.