The Minister of Transport, Maurício Quintella, signed this Thursday (02/02) the work order to begin dredging works at the Port of Paranaguá (PR). The execution of the project includes the deepening of the waterway access channel, evolution basin and public berth of the Port. The Ministry of Transport will invest a total of R$ 394 million in dredging services. On that occasion, the minister also signed the approval of the Development and Zoning Plan for the Port of Paranaguá.
For Minister Quintella, the work will improve navigation safety, avoiding waiting at the entry windows of large ships, which meets the port authority's goal of maintaining zero waiting levels. “In addition to the increase in loads by more than 10.5 thousand tons, with an increase in depth of 1.5 meters in the berths. This dredging will boost the growth of the State’s port capacity”, explains the minister. The expected deadline for completing the work is 11 months, a contract that will be executed by the company DTA Engenharia Ltda, which won the bid.
The port had not undergone deepening dredging for 20 years – three maintenance dredgings were carried out between 2012 and 2016. “The port could not wait any longer for this work due to the high degree of influence of Paranaguá for the productive sector of the country”, says Quintella.
With 1.5 meters more depth, just at the Container Terminal, it will be possible to load 1,050 more Container Units per ship.
PREPARATION – All the investments in infrastructure made over the last few years in Paranaguá by Appa and the State Government, as well as the process of obtaining licensing for the work, were essential for the port to receive the deepening dredging. “We are preparing to take this step. We have already revamped the port from its Sorting Yard, its entrances and scales, to the docking pier, which has undergone its biggest renovation in 80 years”, explains the Secretary of Infrastructure and Logistics, José Richa Filho.
CONTRACT – Dredging will take place in three areas that allow access for ships over a length of approximately 45 kilometers. In total, 14.2 million cubic meters of sand will be dredged, enough to fill 15 football stadiums such as Maracanã. The entire process of obtaining environmental licensing from Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) was conducted by Appa.
With the new dredging, the access channel to the Port of Paranaguá, called Galheta channel, will be 16 meters deep. Today, the channel is 15 meters long.
The channel's Evolution Basin – an area used by ships for maneuvering and docking – will gain an additional two meters in depth with the new dredging, going from 12 to 14 meters. The intermediate areas, located between the Galheta Channel and the Evolution Basin, will be between 14 and 15 meters deep.
PRODUCTIVITY – With the increase in depth by 1.5 meters in the berths, each ship that docks at the Port of Paranaguá will be able to have its load increased by 10.5 thousand tons. This represents a monthly increase, in the Export Corridor alone, of 315 thousand tons that can be loaded in excess. (see infographic)
The CEO of the Administration of the Ports of Paranaguá and Antonina, Luiz Henrique Dividino, explains that the main benefit of deepening dredging is navigation safety. “Dredging will bring greater safety to navigation, regardless of the tide. Furthermore, it will allow us to promote economies of scale to reduce costs in Brazil”, he reinforced.
CRUET – The silting of navigation channels is a natural phenomenon of recomposition of materials at the bottom of the channels. The Galheta channel, which provides access to the ports of Paraná, is artificial and was opened in the 1970s, which enabled the Port of Paranaguá to position itself as the second largest public port in Latin America and one of the largest grain export platforms. of the world.
PORT OF PARANAGUÁ – The Port of Paranaguá closed 2016 with 45.1 million tons handled. The result is 2% higher than that achieved in 2015, when 43.9 million tons of cargo were moved. In total, 27.9 million tons were exported through Paranaguá in 2016. The most significant growth was in sugar shipments, which moved 5.1 million tons and registered a 19% increase compared to 2015.
The milestone was achieved due to recent investments, worth R$624 million, made by the State Government in infrastructure works, including the strengthening of the pier and maintenance dredging.
Another type of merchandise that boosted the port's results in 2016 was the export of general cargo. The 5.8 million tons shipped resulted in an increase of 5% in cargo compared to the previous year.
ZONING – Minister Maurício Quintella also signed the approval of the Development and Zoning Plan for the Port of Paranaguá (PDZPO).
Formulated in partnership with the port community, users, public and private entities, the Plan is the master line for port development. This is the first development and zoning plan made in full accordance with the National Port Logistics Plan (PNLP), of the Federal Government, and in compliance with all current environmental resolutions.
From there, guidelines are established for the growth of the port structure and the expansion of terminal areas. It predicts an increase in demand for the port by 2030.
ATTENDANCE – Present at the ceremony were the Secretary of Port Infrastructure of the Ministry of Transport, Daniel Maciel; the general director of the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq), Adalberto Tokarski; the mayor of Paranaguá, Marcelo Roque; the state deputy, Tião Medeiros; the Secretary of the Environment and Water Resources of Paraná, Antônio Carlos Bonetti; businesspeople in the sector, councilors and representatives of port unions.
