Port Itapoa has commenced Phase Four of its growth, which is expected to cost $88.45 million over the next 12 months, according to Seatrsde Maritime.
Located in Babitonga Bay, Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, Itapoa Port has a yard area of 455,000 sq m, with a storage capacity of 31,000 teu and the ability to handle up to 1.8 m teu annually.
“This expansion will add another 120,000 sq m to the yard. We are also planning to purchase additional high-tech equipment which we expect to improve the terminal’s efficiency and sustainability,” said Felipe Fioravanti Kaufmann, the Director of Business Development and Customer Experience at Port Itapoa.
According to Port Itapoa, the most significant of these new investments is the purchase of an additional container crane. “In August, we deployed our seventh container crane, which has already increased our productivity by 15%,” Kaufmann added. This will be the eighth at Itapoa.
The wharf will also be extended by another 400 metres shortly, adding to its present length of 800 metres. This will allow three huge vessels to dock simultaneously.
The modernisation plans also include purchasing 12 remote controlled RTGs (rubber-tired gantry cranes).
The expansion will also see the installation of 1,080 additional reefer plugs, bringing the terminal’s total to 4,038 points.