The Brazilian Bottleneck

When a Brazilian port says to have moved 30 million tons of bulk in the previous year, this port meant metric tonnage (weigh of one thousand liters of water). However, overseas ship-owners will understand how “Tonnage Throughput” is twice the metric tonnage. Then they will split this move by two and get a metric tonnage of 15 million metric tons per year and will establish the daily shipping standard. This mistake in the contract will be observed when the ship arrives in Brazil and finds the buzz in the port area, from the waiting-buoy, because the port will not be moving 15 million metric tons per year (41 thousand tons per day) but, 30 million metric tons per year (82.000 tons per day). This total should be doubled, or 60 million tons throughput, or twice as much as they expected. If this atmosphere of excessive turmoil at the waiting buoy causes enormous disturbance, what is going on in the port area with goods arriving and leaving at the same time? This fact increases the freights by raising the incidence of demurrage. According to the 2013 report presented by Antaq 8,9 million TEUs were handled in Brazilian ports, with 5,7 million containers units. With this data, we can raise totals in TEUs Throughput as other countries do. The index says that 3,2 million containers units of 40′ and 2,5 million containers of 20′ were moved. Multiplying the 20 ‘units by two and the 40’ units by four and adding the totals we’ll have the statistical data indicator in TEUs Throughput of 17,8 million TEUs moved in Brazil in 2013. The Santos total in 2016 was 227,631,504 Throughput Tones and 9,456,470 TEU Throughput. Rotterdam moved 12,385,168 TEUs Throughput In 2016.

Tab 1. Comparing Cargo Vessels With Containers in 2016.

2016	Million Unities	Million Metric Tons	Average per Unity
Santos	3,132	52,251	16,688 Kg
Rotterdam	7,413	63,701	8,593 Kg

 

Tab 2. Comparing Exports of Iron Ore.

2016	Million Metric Tons	Million Tons Throughput
Brasil	418,4	836,8
Australia	412,0	824,0

 

Egberto Fioravanti Ribeiro

E-Book – The Cause of Bottleneck in Brazilian Ports

July 20, 2017.-