Latin America's Atlantic-facing ports will struggle to berth mega ships
PORTS across Latin America are striving to adapt to berth larger vessels, with ports on the Pacific side finding it easier to adjust than those facing the Atlantic due to both natural and trade conditions.
Speaking on the sidelines of the IX Port Engineering Congress, organised by the Argentine Association of Port Engineers, Latin America sales manager for Trelleborg Marine Systems, Daniel Figueiredo, told the Buenos Aires Herald: "Pacific area ports are investing in new equipment and revamping their docks, mostly to harbour ships between 12,000 and 16,000 TEU.
"The Atlantic area is aiming not so much at this kind of vessel as post-panamaxes of 12,500 TEU, for which it is not prepared," he said.
"Latin America's port infrastructure must adapt not only to new equipment but also to the new manoeuvring conditions which are not easy for such large vessels. The infrastructure must include appropriate equipment to absorb the impact of the new ships.
"Docking manuals prescribe a maximum clearance of 300 millimetres. This may be usual for small vessels but for ships between 16,000 and 20,000 TEU this is really an exceptional occurrence," Mr Figueiredo said.
He pointed out that the challenges include the facts that many docks are already there, that the infrastructure already exists and that it was built taking into consideration a given charge, and that the new, larger ships require equipment requiring more effort from the docks.
"That Latin American ports need to do in the face of the new ship size trends is highly expensive. In some cases, the required investments are tremendous because it not only involves infrastructure but also dredging. There are many ports used to a 13- or 14-metre depth. For example, Santos (Brazil), which is around 12-15 metres deep and needs to go to 17 metres.
"In the face of deeper dredging needs, some ports have naturally favourable conditions and are starting to have advantages over others. We have often seen Pacific ports have a better ability to adjust to the new requirements for docks and terminals than those on the Atlantic coast, mostly due to dredging conditions. In general, Atlantic ports have to invest more than those on the Pacific," Mr Figueiredo added.
PORTS across Latin America are striving to adapt to berth larger vessels, with ports on the Pacific side finding it easier to adjust than those facing the Atlantic due to both natural and trade conditions.
Speaking on the sidelines of the IX Port Engineering Congress, organised by the Argentine Association of Port Engineers, Latin America sales manager for Trelleborg Marine Systems, Daniel Figueiredo, told the Buenos Aires Herald: "Pacific area ports are investing in new equipment and revamping their docks, mostly to harbour ships between 12,000 and 16,000 TEU.
"The Atlantic area is aiming not so much at this kind of vessel as post-panamaxes of 12,500 TEU, for which it is not prepared," he said.
"Latin America's port infrastructure must adapt not only to new equipment but also to the new manoeuvring conditions which are not easy for such large vessels. The infrastructure must include appropriate equipment to absorb the impact of the new ships.
"Docking manuals prescribe a maximum clearance of 300 millimetres. This may be usual for small vessels but for ships between 16,000 and 20,000 TEU this is really an exceptional occurrence," Mr Figueiredo said.
He pointed out that the challenges include the facts that many docks are already there, that the infrastructure already exists and that it was built taking into consideration a given charge, and that the new, larger ships require equipment requiring more effort from the docks.
"That Latin American ports need to do in the face of the new ship size trends is highly expensive. In some cases, the required investments are tremendous because it not only involves infrastructure but also dredging. There are many ports used to a 13- or 14-metre depth. For example, Santos (Brazil), which is around 12-15 metres deep and needs to go to 17 metres.
"In the face of deeper dredging needs, some ports have naturally favourable conditions and are starting to have advantages over others. We have often seen Pacific ports have a better ability to adjust to the new requirements for docks and terminals than those on the Atlantic coast, mostly due to dredging conditions. In general, Atlantic ports have to invest more than those on the Pacific," Mr Figueiredo added.