Brazil adds mid-stream agribulk transshipment facility

 

On May 1, one of the largest floating bulk cargo transshipment systems in the Americas arrived at Itacoatiara, in Brazil’s Amazonas state. The so-called “Super Porto Verde” was developed by local terminal operator Super Terminais at a cost just shy of $50 million.

 

It will operate on the Amazon River, 175 kilometers from the state capital Manaus, and will mostly handle grain and fertiliser. The floating dock is 240 meters long and 18 meters across. It is equipped with three Sennebogen 895E electric cranes, which are the largest in the world of their type. Significantly, this is the first time they have been deployed anywhere in the southern hemisphere, even though they can move up to 2,100 tonnes per hour.

 

The massive floating structure, which can simultaneously accommodate a Panamax ship of up to 50,000dwt and six barges, was built in Brazil by the Juruá Shipyard at Iranduba.

 

The precise location of the floating dock has been chosen because it is ideal for the integration of Amazonian waterways into the export flows of the national agribusiness. At Itacoatiara, the dock will form part of the overall 300,000 square metre port area. The original design was aimed at capturing container traffic, but was easily adapted to handle agribulk.