Brazil: West side of Paranaguá Port receives public and private investments

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The west side of Paranaguá Port in Paraná State is being developed with public and private works and investments. The silinho, an obsolete structure, is completely demolished, a new pulp terminal is almost ready, and the new structure for bulk loading by conveyor belts is almost ready.

For a long time, the west side of the port was forgotten, recalls Luiz Fernando Garcia, general director of Portos do Paraná. According to him, actions and attention were concentrated on the east side, where the Export Corridor is located.

“Since the beginning of the current administration, we have set our sights on the other side,” said Garcia.

First, the repowering and expansion of Berth 201 were carried out. Subsequently, the area currently occupied by Klabin was auctioned. There was also the demolition of structures that were no longer compatible with the port’s current productivity and efficiency.

“We still have the growth of two new terminals in the West. In short, it is a new reality; the port is being put at full capacity to meet this ever-increasing demand,” said the CEO.

The vertical silo located on the west side of the dock, known as silinho, was built in 1973, was located in an area of more than 2,000 square meters, was obsolete, in disuse since 2009. Luiz Fernando Garcia explains that the site will provide space to expand the port’s operational capacity. An investment of R$3.47 million (US$750,000).

The new structure for loading bulk cargo by conveyor belts is a private investment by the company Paraná Operação Portuárias (Pasa). In this first phase of the expansion project, which should be completed in February 2022, the company is building a new shipping line and intends to install a new ship loader to handle up to 2,500 tons/hour.

The second phase, for next year, foresees the construction of a new warehouse with a capacity for 60,000 tons of sugar or 45,000 tons of other solid bulks. There will be R$117.7 million in investments that should increase the terminal’s capacity from 3.6 million tons/year to 6.7 million tons/year.

Sandro Avila, director of Operational Planning, Logistics, and Supplies at Klabin, explains that the company is completing the pulp terminal to the west of the port strip, an investment of more than R$120 million. He emphasizes the harmony with which the transformation has been taking place, with three works being carried out simultaneously.