Bertolini Launches Brazil’s Largest Grain Transport Convoy

Bertolini Transporte e Navegação has deployed Brazil’s largest-ever inland waterway grain transport convoy. The vessel departed Porto Velho, Rondônia (RO), bound for the Port of Santarém, Pará (PA), carrying 75,000 tonnes of soybeans and corn—equivalent to 1,500 truckloads.

The operation is powered by the new Bertolini CL pusher tug, designed to move 30 barges in a single convoy, surpassing the current standard of 20 units. Built at the Beconal shipyard, the vessel is equipped with four Mitsubishi S12R-MPTA engines, each generating 1,180 horsepower, ensuring greater power and efficiency.

“The new configuration increases our cargo capacity per voyage, cutting costs and easing pressure on road transport,” said Flávio Silveira, Bertolini’s Industrial Director.

Grain shipments via the Madeira River have emerged as a strategic alternative to Brazil’s southeastern ports. Previously trucked over long distances to the Port of Santos in São Paulo and the Port of Paranaguá in Paraná, agricultural production from Brazil’s Midwest is now transported via inland waterways to northern ports, such as Santarém, Itacoatiara in Amazonas, and Barcarena in Pará, for export.

Rodrigo Teixeira, Maritime Business Leader at Mitsubishi Marine, emphasized that the new vessel’s engines were designed for long-haul operations with minimal maintenance requirements. “These are robust, efficient engines that comply with international environmental standards,” he stated.

Source: Diário do Acre

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