Bad weather shuts down navigation for 20 hours at the Port of Santos, affecting 23 vessels

The Port of Santos, the largest in Brazil, had its navigation shut down for approximately 20 hours between May 18th and 19th due to bad weather that represented risks to ships sailing in the region. The interruption forced 23 vessels to alter their schedules. Thirteen of them were departing, while ten were arriving.

According to the Santos Port Authority (SPA), the state-owned company that manages the Santos port complex, land operations were not impacted by the navigation shut down at the Estuary Channel, which took place between 1:55 pm on the 18th and 9:50 am the following day.

Brazil’s navy captaincy of São Paulo (CPSP) reported that activities resumed as soon as the weather improved in the late morning of the 19th, with wind intensity reducing to 5.5 km/h from gusts at 33 km/h and waves 2.6 meters high.

José Roque, the executive director of the Union of Maritime Navigation Agencies of São Paulo (Sindamar), explained that the navigation shutdown is inevitable in certain weather conditions. “In addition to protecting the safety of vessels and their crew, this procedure aims to avoid accidents that may prevent other vessels from entering the navigation channel in the future.”

He also details that the interruption causes import ripple effects in the port sector, as it also affects the vessel calls in other ports, delaying ship operations. Thus, Roque emphasizes that natural phenomena can be a point of concern for maritime logistics transportation.

“Vessel operations had already been affected by the emergence of coronavirus and, more recently, the closure of the Shanghai port, not to mention the war between Russia and Ukraine.”

According to him, these factors contribute to schedule alterations to minimize operational impacts and maintain customers’ commitment to transporting goods. Given this scenario, Roque argues that some shipowners are already reducing the number of calls in Santos.

Source: A Tribuna

To read the full original article, please go to:

https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/mau-tempo-interrompe-navegacao-por-20-horas-no-porto-de-santos-e-afeta-23-navios

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