Maranhão and VLI Join Efforts for Port of Itaqui Expansion

The Maranhão State government, represented by the Maranhão Port Administration Company (Emap), and VLI, an integrated logistics solutions company with branches in railways, ports, and terminals, signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday (15) to initiate studies for the expansion of the Port of Itaqui. The signing ceremony was attended by Governor Carlos Brandão, interim CEO and Director of Finance, Supply Chain, and Services at VLI, Fábio Marchiori, and Gilberto Lins, president of EMAP.

The studies aim to explore potential investments in various structures, including a railway station within the port area, a new berth for grain shipments alongside the enhancement of another berth, and the development of warehouses, hoppers, and railway interconnections.

Fábio Marchiori emphasized, “The Maranhão port system serves as a vital link for production in the Matopiba region and states such as Mato Grosso, Tocantins, and Goiás, included in VLI’s Northern Corridor coverage area. The infrastructure expansion studies for the Port of Itaqui underscore our commitment to serving customers and our company’s role in fostering regional production growth and bolstering Brazil’s export capacity.”

Gilberto Lins, president of EMAP, commented, “This investment further solidifies the significance of our facilities and, notably, their role as a national logistics hub. Moreover, it reflects the confidence that major companies have in our management of the largest port in the North/Northeast.”

Governor Brandão added, “We closely monitor each phase of VLI’s service expansion, investments, and, most importantly, operations within our state. This translates to increased employment opportunities and income generation for the people of Maranhão. Our policy is to maximize the productivity potential of every sector throughout the state, and this milestone marks significant progress.”

Efficiency Boost with Reversing Loop

The reversing loop, an engineering solution streamlining train formation for cargo transport, is a standard feature at all VLI road-rail transshipment multi-modal terminals and the Luiz Antonio Mesquita Port Logistics Terminal (Tiplam) in Santos. This system enhances performance by eliminating the need for multiple loading or unloading points. For instance, in Araguari (Minas Gerais), where VLI operates a terminal linked to the Centro-Atlântica Railway, loading time for trains with 80 wagons decreased from over 64 hours to just five hours after the implementation of rail pears.

Investments and Growth

The growth of regional production is evident in the results of VLI’s Northern Corridor, which connects Porto Nacional (Tocantins) to the Maranhão port system. From 2013 to 2023, rail transport volume in the corridor surged by over 300%, from 3.5 billion TKM (tonnes per kilometer) to 14.4 billion TKM.

In 2023, VLI inaugurated a new fertilizer transport route from the Port of Itaqui to the Palmeirante Multimodal Terminal for local distribution, with an estimated initial capacity of 1.5 million tons per year. To support this new transport flow, VLI invested approximately R$400 million in partnership with the Itaqui Port Operator Company (Copi).

Additionally, VLI invested around R$200 million last year to bolster cargo transport capacity in the region, acquiring 168 wagons and three locomotives. These wagons are already operational in the North Corridor, facilitating the transportation of the current grain harvest.

Moreover, VLI operates three integrator terminals in strategic locations along the Northern Corridor in Porto Nacional, Palmeirante, and Porto Franco, Maranhão, providing transshipment services from trucks to railways and offering storage facilities for producers.

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