Santos expands capacity for handling grain

The segment of solid grain in Santos, led by shipments of sugar, is now preparing a project for modernization that shall even change – and more importantly change – the transport matrix for the goods which currently come to the port mainly by road. This new action triggers off a new phase in which the terminals shall no longer be just a point of entry and exit, but start to verticalize their business to dominate the route of the said cargo, from the point of origin through to the docks. If you manage to do a business of scale under these conditions, there is an increase in efficiency and also a rationalization of processes, says Carlos Magano, director of Rumo Logística, which is a division of Cosan, the largest sugar and alcohol group in the country.
Rumo’s project plans a total investment (started in 2010) of R$ 1.3 billion over five years, including the production unit and the port, to transfer at least half of what is shipped through the port to rail transport. The company is investing in the recovery and expansion of the permanent tracks, in new patios and intermodal terminals, locomotives and wagons. The forecasts suggest there shall be some restrictions on the access to the port of Santos over the next two years, so the idea is to transfer the transport of sugar to railways which, in addition, are a more sustainable form of transport, adds Mr. Magano.

Out of the total of R$ 1.3 billion, the investment made strictly in the port shall be R$ 250 million. This investment includes the construction of new warehouses, the connection between the different terminals, the purchase of a new shiploader unit (a type of equipment for the steady loading of loose cargo), conveyor belts and receiving pits and, finally, a project for covering the ships, thereby allowing continuous operations for the shipment of this commodity. Currently, the port of Santos loses 30% of operating time due to the rain.

In this business year alone, the Group – which is responsible for nearly half the sugar which arrives in the port of Santos – plans to export 10 million tons of the commodity, and the idea is that, by the end of this project, the Group may be able to handle 18 million tons per annum.

The cover of the Cosan and Copersucar terminals (this latter terminal having a similar project) shall mean a gain in productivity of at least 30% for the Port. This is a matter not only of infrastructure, but also of better preparation of what already exists, says the President of the São Paulo State Docks Company (Companhia Docas do Estado de São Paulo – Codesp), José Roberto Serra, responsible for the management of the port in the State of São Paulo.

The segment of liquid grain depends on the continuation in growth of investments in dock infrastructure, otherwise the expansions made by all terminals of this segment shall be in vain – compared with last year, the installed capacity rose 21.7%, represented by a storage area with a total volume of 958,900 cubic meters.

After many years, the segment has also managed to include, in the Growth Acceleration Program (Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento – PAC), funds for the construction of another five piers in the two regions where the company operates (Alemoa and Ilha Barnabé). The port structure for liquids in Santos, on the whole, has not grown in the last 22 years, explains the executive director of the Brazilian Association of Terminals for Liquids (Associação Brasileira de Terminais de Líquidos – ABTL), Carlos Alberto de Castro. However, demand has indeed increased.

Last year the port handled 5.86 million tons of liquid cargo, a volume which represented an increase of 36% on the previous year. In this current year, the estimated rate of growth is even higher, having been placed at 40%.

The market for liquids grows two or three times more than the Brazilian GDP, also because of the investments that have been made in infrastructure in the country, which demands much more than we now operate, explains the President of Vopak in Brazil, Frank Wisbrun. The company, which is the national division of the Dutch multinational, completed the expansion of a new patio last year, with an additional 37 thousand cubic meters. The company has also recently acquired an area of 20 thousand square meters which shall be used for tanking – which product has not yet been decided.

According to Mr. Wisbrun, Vopak seeks growth in exports of ethanol, other chemical products and vegetable oils, mainly. Without giving details, the executive says that the group, which is an open capital company in the Netherlands, has a plan to invest € 1.9 billion this year. Mr. Wisbrun also says that the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are the company priority. Apart from Santos, Vopak Brazil is also present at Aratu, in the State of Bahia, where they have increased capacity, and in Paranaguá, in the State of Paraná. In all, the total volume of the Brazilian park comes to 329,927 cubic meters.