Cargo throughput at Port of Natal plunge 32.6% year-on-year

The Port of Natal registered a 32.6% decrease in cargo throughput in 2023 compared to 2022. In absolute numbers, between shipped and unloaded cargo, 444,782 tonnes passed through the port last year, a far cry from the previous year when 660,285 tonnes were handled in Natal. All data is from the Waterborne Statistics report from the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq). The significant retraction of the port worries workers in the sector, who have lost a source of income and are demanding infrastructure improvements.

In total, according to Aproniano César, director of the company Museu do Porto, around 220 workers, including dockworkers, stevedores, cargo handlers, and checkers, depend on the Port of Natal. “At the moment, everyone is idle. People live on daily wages, and ships no longer come here, so it’s very difficult. It’s very complicated; there are 220 breadwinners not working, without a way to support their families because of this drop in port activity. The truth is that the port is abandoned,” says César, who has been researching the terminal since 1972.

The low movement at the Port of Natal is mainly attributed to inadequate infrastructure. The need for dredging the terminal – a process to remove sediments from the river bottom to ensure satisfactory navigation depth – and the absence of bridge defenses are bottlenecks that deter large companies’ operations in the state, according to industry representatives. An example of this was CMA CGM’s decision to end its partnership with the port, which resulted in a 60% drop in operations.

The president of the Union of Stevedores of Rio Grande do Norte (Sindarn), Romilton Batista ‘Doutorzinho,’ says the situation is concerning. “Our situation is precarious; we have been idle since February, without work, surviving on food donations. The fruit company that we closed a contract with only worked for four months because of the rains. The trouble is great because we depend on it. If the port had movement, we would be working, but nobody wants to come here because there is no structure,” comments Paulo César.

The concern is also shared among stevedores, according to Paulo César, who is the treasurer of the Union of Stevedores of Rio Grande do Norte. “It’s extremely challenging as we approach eight months without work or income. The ships that dock here are sporadic, and the daily wage is only R$ 70. However, these ships often remain docked for four or five days. As a result, workers struggle to make ends meet. We’ve been reaching out to the appropriate authorities, but unfortunately, we haven’t seen any tangible solutions yet,” he remarks.

Workers convened at the Federation of Industries of Rio Grande do Norte (Fiern) on the 13th to address the decline in port activities. “We are asking important associations to support our cause, so that the government may look at us,” highlights Aproniano César. “We have a big infrastructure problem. Since there is no dredging, ships drag in the river, and captains have to report that and shipowners avoid coming back. The defenses are a problem too,” adds Aproniano.

Fiern President Roberto Serquiz informed the group that they are developing a proposal to improve port activities, which will be presented to Governor Fátima Bezerra. “Rio Grande do Norte needs this logistics channel to regain the competitiveness lost over the past years. The prospect of attracting these investments necessarily involves extensive dialogue. We have a project that appears to be viable, which is the use of an Ocean Barge for cargo transport from the Port of Natal,” he declared.

Company aims to export ore through the Port

The Rio Grande do Norte Dock Company (Codern) states that the search for new businesses is ongoing and that they already have a letter of intent from the company Fomento do Brasil, established ten years ago, to lease an area for exporting ore through the Port of Natal starting in 2027. The Technical, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility Study (EVTEA) is in its final stages, according to Codern.

Codern also has a letter of intent from Agrícola Famosa, considered the largest producer and exporter of fresh fruits in Brazil, which intends to lease an area of four thousand square meters at the terminal. The board also informed that it is determined to lease the Maritime Passenger Terminal (TMP), built in 2014.

The company further explained that when the current board took over Codern in May 2023, they were faced with CMA CGM’s decision to spot activities at the terminal and the scenario was very worrying. “However, soon after, exports of fruits by Agrícola Famosa began, in pallets rather than containers, presenting good prospects for increasing movement in the coming harvests. We started looking for new customers and prospecting new businesses, as well as resolving obstacles that limit the port, with emphasis on the necessary dredging and the installation of defenses of the Newton Navarro Bridge, requests for which we have received full support from the Federal and State governments.”

Cabotage

Making cabotage operations viable at the Port of Natal requires an investment of approximately R$ 260 million. Most of the investment – R$ 200 million – would be directed toward dredging, a process in which sediments are removed from the river bottom to ensure adequate navigation depth. The other R$ 60 million would be allocated for defenses, cranes, and scanner structures. The information comes from the Federation of Industries of Rio Grande do Norte (Fiern).

Source: Tribuna do Norte

Click here to read the original news article: https://tribunadonorte.com.br/economia/movimentacao-de-carga-pelo-porto-de-natal-reduziu-326-em-2023/

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