On Monday (21), the ship “Astraea SB” crossed the Barra Norte Channel on the Amazon River loaded with soy with a draft of 11.75 meters. It was the first of 12 tests to validate the new 11.90m draft, authorized by the Navy in January this year. Tests will still be carried out on a scheduled and increasing basis: one more test with 11.75m; two tests with 11.80m; four with 11.85m; and, at last, four more with 11.90m; all taking advantage of a tide of 3.10m or more. The draft increase from 11.70 meters to 12.50 meters at the Barra Norte channel has been endorsed by the Association of Private Port Terminals (ATP) since 2016. The association recognizes this experimental increase of 0.2 meters as an important advance for the sector. Thousands of tons of extra capacity make all the difference in revenue generation, combining increased productivity, reduction in logistical costs, and improvement in the efficiency. It is also worth mentioning that the larger the size for cargo movement, the lower the costs of the operation.
Source: Portos e Navios (*Translated by Ia Niani)