Portonave performs first night departure with a 334m ship

The Port Authority of Santa Catarina authorized the carrying out of 50 special night departure maneuvers from the port complex of Itajaí and Navegantes. The first operation took place on the night of Wednesday, December 8, at Portonave, with the ship Ever Lotus, a 334m LOA (measurement referring to the maximum length of a vessel) vessel belonging to the shipowner Evergreen.

To carry out the maneuver, it was necessary to use two pilots on board who had already performed similar maneuvers, and a Portable Pilot Unit (PPU), a tool that helps the local pilot in the safe navigation of the vessel. In addition, four tugboats with powers regulated by the Port Authority were used.

Two support vessels assisted in carrying out the maneuver, under the coordination of the Port Authority, avoiding interference with traffic during the action. In all, it took 45 minutes for the activity to be completed.

According to Luiz Pelusi Neto, from the Operations Department at Evergreen Brasil, the night maneuver is extremely important for shipowners these days, with the increase in the capacity of ships operating in Brazil. Time is a variable with a lot of weight in the calculation of operating costs and night navigation can speed up the entry or exit of a ship by up to 12 hours. If we take into account the system of berthing windows, the damage can be enormous if the ship is unable to leave at night and ends up losing the window of the next port. Waiting for berth availability can take days.

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