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Brazilian port operates at 10% capacity
2009/2/19
Movement through the ports of Itajaí and Navegantes in Santa Catarina state has plunged during the past three months, due to silt choking the draught of the Itaja''-açu river and physical damage caused to the port facilities by floods at the end of November last year, the Gazeta Mercantil reported.
Traffic through Navegantes, which in October was 40,000 TEUs skidded to 17,000 TEUs in January. Itajaí, the biggest exporter of frozen products from Brazil, is operating at only 10 percent of its normal capacity of 80,000 TEUs a month, ceasing to invoice some US$13.2 million a day.
Port of Itajaí technical director Tito Arruda affirmed that only one docking berth, the fourth, is currently operating and can handle only one ship a day. According to Arruda, movement in January 2008 was 55,000 TEUs and in January 2009 only 20,000.
Exports of processed chicken, the principal item on the port''s export schedule, fell from 125,000 tonnes in January last year to 30,000 in January this year.
Portonave board president Carlo Bottarelli calculated that each meter of draught less in the river means a reduction of 4,000 tonnes of cargo transported.
Itajaí revenues secretary Julio Alves de Sá affirmed that the tax collections of Itajaí municipality fell 40 percent in January compared with the same month a year ago. However, that percentage includes losses in all sectors and not just those caused by the port.
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2009/2/19