In the first four months of this year, the Port of Itaqui exported more than 2.5 million tons of grain in the sum of VLI shipments (839K tons) and Tegram (1.7 million tons). Of this total, about 80% were received by the railroad. VLI receives the entire grain load from Itaqui on the railroad and Tegram jumped from 46% last year to 67% in the first four months of 2019, with the expectation of reaching 80% when the second phase is completed. At present, the railway sector accounts for 55% of total cargo handling in the public port of Maranhão, and this range is growing every year, mainly in solid and liquid bulk operations. In addition to the grains operated by VLI, all copper and cellulose operations use the railroad as well as part of the fuel distribution. Several expansions and new business for the development of Maranhão from Itaqui Port will require rail integration. The revision of the Development and Zoning Plan of the Itaqui Port contemplates the possibility of developing three railway solutions. With the expansion of the North-South, the trend is a significant increase in cargo volumes, which is why the feasibility of railway pear at the Port of Itaqui becomes more strategic every day.
Source: Itaqui Port