Port of Fortaleza boosts cabotage as expansion moves forward

The Port of Fortaleza has taken another firm step in the important cabotage segment. On Sunday, April 12, the port received the Mercosul Fortaleza at berth 106. The vessel is operated by Mercosul Line, part of the CMA CGM group.

Bound for Manaus, the ship arrived from Buenos Aires and had previously called at Santos before berthing in Fortaleza. The cargo was handled at CMA Terminals, also part of the CMA CGM group and the interim lessee of the Port of Fortaleza’s container terminal.

Importance of port cargo handling

This was the second vessel on the cabotage service to call at the Port of Fortaleza this month. Last week, the port received the CMA CGM Veracruz, another operation that highlights the benefits of coastal shipping. By expanding cabotage, the Port of Fortaleza increases cargo throughput and helps reduce the logistics costs associated with road transport, thereby improving companies’ competitiveness.

The arrival of the vessels was made possible by port infrastructure investments carried out by Companhia Docas do Ceará, the federal state-owned company responsible for managing the Port of Fortaleza, as part of efforts to increase cargo volumes.

To support that process, CDC had already hired the Foundation for the Technological Development of Engineering, or FDTE, an institution linked to the University of São Paulo, to conduct maneuvering studies.

Those studies were later approved by the Brazilian Navy’s Hydrography Center, the body responsible for reviewing hydrographic surveys, which confirmed that the work carried out by FDTE complied with the Navy’s official hydrographic and cartographic standards.

North-South channel

The vessels accessed the port through the North-South channel, which was widened from 160 meters to 222 meters following Class A bathymetric survey work.

Source: Portal Portuario

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