Tecon Imbituba begins portainer operations
15/09/2011
The two portainers acquired by Santos Brasil for US$15 million
for its terminal in Imbituba, Santa Catarina, began operating this
week. On Wednesday 14th, there were 248 import/export
container movements involving one South America route, with the
unloading of Chilean copper and the loading of Santa Catarina
porcelain. On Thursday 15th, the portainers were used to
unload a ship carrying a variety of imported products, which plies
the Latin America and Caribbean route. Initially scheduled to
stop at Itajaí, the vessel was rerouted to Imbituba due to the rain
that struck the Center-North region of Santa Catarina.
The portainers are capable of dealing 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.
"The improvement was apparent right from the start and our
productivity increased by 50%. We had a ratio of 30 MPH (container
movements per hour) with the two mobile harbor cranes (MHCs), and
now, with the two single-hoist portainers, we reached 45 MPH with
the AS Catalania," explained Bruno Figurelli, head of
Tecom Imbituba.
With the conclusion of Tecon Imbituba´s expansion and the
dredging of the port to increase depth to 15 meters, the terminal
located in the south of Santa Catarina will be capable of receiving
ULCs operating on the main international trade routes. It is
estimated that the Port of Imbituba will be capable of handling
this kind of vessel, which has a capacity of around 8,600 TEUs, by
2012.
All these investments, together with the natural characteristics
of the port (no physical limitations or access restrictions due to
bad weather),have provided provides shipping companies and
the production chain with one of the most efficient port hubs in
the South.
Santos Brasil's goal is to match Imbituba to the
technological conditions, equipment, quay and retroarea
infrastructure of the largest Brazilian ports, offering not only a
major terminal in Santos, but also a similar alternative in the
South.
"The logistics reach of our terminal in Imbituba begins in
Paraná, extends through Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul as far
as some of the Mercosur countries," declared Figurelli. "Now that
these two cranes have begun to operate and the quay expansion and
dredging have been concluded, the terminal's handling capacity will
increase from the current 150,000 containers per year to
450,000."
Investments in Santa Catarina
Since it was awarded the concession of Tecon Imbituba through a
bid three years ago, Santos Brasil has invested an estimated R$440
million in expanding and preparing the terminal with high-end
technology and infrastructure to receive shipping from Asia, Europe
and the Americas. This figure 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 included 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.
Another investment was the acquisition of a two million
m2 area intended for the Imbituba Industrial Retroarea,
of which 4.5 km is facing an already expanded two lane stretch of
the BR 101 highway. This area 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 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 the second phase projects of the Growth
Acceleration Plan (PAC 2), which includes dredging to increase
depth from 11 to 15 meters and the duplication of the access
channel. 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.
