Container handling “super cranes” arrive in southern Santa Catarina
18/06/2011
The project of transforming the port of Imbituba into an
important alternative in southern Brazil is closer to becoming a
reality. Today, June 18, Tecon Imbituba, Santos Brasil's container
terminal in Santa Catarina, takes delivery of two portainers
(cranes on rails used alongside vessels).
This type of equipment can deal with Ultra Large Containerships
(ULCs), the world's largest vessels, and can handle two 20-foot or
one 40-foot container simultaneously. The cranes have a lifting
capacity of 65 tonnes for containers and 80 tonnes for special
cargo. They also have a 57-meter reach, capable of reaching up to
the 21st row of containers in large vessels. Investments
for the acquisition of the portainers totaled US$15 million.
Since Santos Brasil was granted the Tecon Imbituba concession
three years ago, it has been expanding and preparing the terminal
with high-end technology and infrastructure to receive imports from
Asia, Europe and the Americas. Total investments are expected to
reach around R$440 million. This estimate includes the leasing of
the terminal (a 25-year agreement renewable for another 25), the
construction of two mooring berths, the acquisition of container
handling equipment and the training of personnel.
The first expansion phase involved the construction of 300
meters of quays delivered in November last year. By the close of
October 2011, the works will be concluded and the terminal will
have 660 linear meters of quays. The Company has also invested in
the Imbituba Industrial Retroarea, acquired in late 2010, which
will increase the terminal's competitiveness. With an area of two
million m2, 4.5 km of which facing an already
expanded two-lane stretch of the BR 101 highway, it will be used to
support the Port's sustainable development and will include the
installation of the entire operational support structure, including
an inspection yard, warehouses and an empty container terminal. It
will also house export industries, vehicle and auto-parts
manufacturers and industries that use imported materials in the
production process.
Imbituba has also been receiving investments from the federal
government through second-phase projects of the Growth
Acceleration Plan (PAC 2). In 2011, the government will also fund
dredging to increase the port draft from 11 to 15 meters and
duplicate the access way. There are also plans to construct the
Ferrovia Litorânea railway, which will connect the north of Santa
Catarina state to the Port of Imbituba and the Tereza Cristina
railway, giving the latter access to the national rail network.
With the conclusion of the expansion works in Tecon Imbituba,
the arrival of the portainers and the dredging of the port, the
terminal will be capable of receiving ULCs operating on the main
international trade routes. By the close of 2011, the Port of
Imbituba should be capable of handling this type of vessel, which
has a capacity of around 8,600 TEUs, directly benefiting the
industrial centers in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, as well
as the Mercosur logistics chain. All these investments, together
with the natural characteristics of the port (no physical
limitations or access restrictions due to bad weather) have made
Imbituba a highly attractive terminal, guaranteed to add
competitiveness to all its users.
