Port of Santos expands to 14,000 TEU containerships

By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas & Pacific Correspondent

SAO PAULO — Authorities at the Port of Santos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, announced that they can now receive vessels of 366 meters in length, which equates to about 14,000 TEU.

Santos Port Authority (SPA) worked with local authorities to study the maneuverability, hydrodynamic interaction, and mooring plans, proving the viability of traffic of these vessels in the navigation channel is a viable measure. 

Seatrade Maritime News also reports that the researchers that determined this new policy’s viability found a feasible operation for ships up to 15,000 TEU. The same news report indicates that the Port of Santos began 2021 by registering cargo volume records in January. 

The Santos Port Authority reports that the total cargo volume was 9.18 million tonnes, 10.5 percent higher than in 2020 and 1.4 percent higher than the record for the month, recorded in 2018 at 9.05 million tonnes.

This means that the Port of Santos is one of the largest ports by volume in Latin America. Brazil officials have also announced that the government intends to privatize both the Ports of Santos and San Sebastian.