OPERATIONS at Brazil's port of Santos, the largest container gateway in South America, are expected to return to normal within the next couple of days as terminals work to clear a backlog caused by the eight-day inferno that broke out at the Ultracargo bulk chemical terminal on April 2.
The closure of Brazil Terminal Portuaria, a container terminal on the right bank, for several days and truck traffic restrictions on roads connecting to the port contributed to the backlog of containers, reported Newark's Journal of Commerce.
Nine vessels were redirected away from the terminal, causing import boxes to pile up on the quayside of that facility and at four other terminals on the right bank.
"It has been challenging, to say the least, but now the difficult situation is almost over," CEO of Maersk Line in Brazil, Peter Gyde, was quoted as saying. "We have been flexible and so have our customers, and some cargo was rolled over, around a 1,000 boxes."
Trucks waited for days in allocated areas more than 20 kilometres up the mountain road on the Anchieta Highway. Codesp, the local port authority, has reopened Anchieta Highway to allow trucks to help clear the backlog of import boxes.
During the height of the fire, Maersk Line and other carriers switched their vessels from the right bank to Embraport and Santos Brasil, on the left bank in Guaruja. Trucks heading to Guaruja, a city on the left side of the ship channel that provides access to the port, were allowed to proceed by Sao Paulo's transport authorities.
The fire led to a suspension of bunker-fuel supplies at the port, after police and highway operators blocked much of the truck access to the port, and the harbour master banned ship movements at terminals along the busy Alemoa docks.
Six fuel tanks run by Ultracargo, owned by Brazil's Grupo Ultra, were damaged in the blaze. The damaged tanks held ethanol and gasoline and had storage capacity for 214,000 barrels. Not all were full at the time of the fire, Grupo Ultra said.
The delays are unlikely to affect soybean and other grain-export volumes this month as the port has ample stocks, industry representatives said. Santos handles a third of Brazil's soybean exports, half of corn exports and much of the coffee and sugar shipments, reported Reuters.
"Anything that happens at Santos is cause for worry, but the fire has not altered anything with regard to the April export outlook," said executive director of the National Cereals Exporters' Association, Anec, Sergio Mendes.
WORLD SHIPPING
15 April 2015 - 20:30
Santos port copes with box backlog after fire rages for 8 days
OPERATIONS at Brazil's port of Santos, the largest container gateway in South America, are expected to return to normal within the next couple of days as terminals work to clear a backlog caused by the eight-day inferno that broke out at the Ultracargo bulk chemical terminal on April 2.
WORLD SHIPPING
15 April 2015 - 20:30
Santos port copes with box backlog after fire rages for 8 days
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