São Francisco do Sul Port completes dredging of two berths

To optimize navigation safety and efficiency, two berths at the Port of São Francisco do Sul underwent a dredging process.

The maintenance work was carried out with the Russian dredger Optimus in April, successfully preserving the depth of berths 301 and 302 at the Santa Catarina Terminal (Tesc), which has been under lease for more than two decades. In total, the Port of São Francisco has seven berths.

Approximately 100,000 cubic meters of sediment were removed during the operation, equivalent to the transport capacity of 2,000 trucks.

The operation’s objective was to maintain a 14 meters depth at Berth 301 and a 12 meters depth at Berth 302, which is essential for the safe docking of ships with a draft of up to 12.80 meters at the former berth and 11 meters at the latter.

The dredger was contracted by Tesc, which also covered the costs of the work.

The vessel Optimus was also used in March for the sandbank widening at the beach “Praia dos Ingleses” in Florianópolis, the state’s capital, just before the start of dredging works at the Port of São Francisco do Sul.

How dredging works

Dredging involves the removal of sediment and material deposited on the seafloor to increase depth and improve navigability, ensuring the operational capacity of ports.

Ports must constantly dredge their terminals and access channels as sediment is naturally deposited by currents, tides, and coastal erosion.

In addition to improving navigability, periodic dredging at the Port of São Francisco can be considered an investment as it increases its operational capacity, attracting more investment and generating more jobs and income for the local community.

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