With a third of Brazil’s international trade flow passing through its terminals and an average daily movement of 20 ships, which require 40 entry and exit maneuvers every 24 hours, the Port of Santos today has a minimum depth of 15 meters. The authorities are working on expanding it to 16 meters at first. However, according to Sao Paulo state’s pilotage, the ideal depth would be 17 meters, a scenario already on the Port Authority’s radar. For the president of São Paulo Pilotage, Fábio de Mello Fontes, the current depth meets the demand, but it is not ideal. “Vessels are authorized to travel in the Port of Santos with a draft of up to 14.5 meters. One meter of tidal height is enough for this draft. But deepening (the channel) to 17 meters would be ideal.”
Sources: A Tribuna/Datamar News