Rail transport of fertilizers now at full steam at the Port of Itaqui

After a successful testing phase in the second half of the year, the rail transport of fertilizers is now in full swing between the Port of Itaqui and producing areas. Port operator COPI heavily invested in building Latin America’s most modern fertilizer terminal. This effort is now bearing fruits with the startup of operations that move cargo from the port to the transshipment rail terminal in Palmeirante, in the state of Tocantins.

The company will provide 40 wagons (3,700 t) to travel across the newly built tracks, which count with a modern conveyor belt system allowing operators to unload a 100-ton wagon in 7 minutes.

“With the entire system now operational, the COPI terminal, and other large projects implemented in the public port of Maranhao, such as Tegram and liquid bulk terminals, shows clearly the strength of the grain production chain and the private sector’s confidence to invest in Itaqui,” says the port’s CEO.

According to COPI’s operations team, the railroad met the first shipments’ expectations, with 733 tonnes of cargo dispatched per hour. The system’s initial capacity is 1.5 million tonnes/year (though it can be increased upon demand).

The operator’s entire infrastructure can transport up to 4 million tonnes of fertilizer per year. This infrastructure will be supplemented by a third high-performance mobile crane, which is expected to begin operations in 2023.

“The Port of Itaqui concentrates most of our investments to meet the growing market demand. Therefore, COPI’s main growth leverage is the new terminal and its integration with the rail network. Also, in addition to the regular growth achieved in recent years, the port of Itaqui should increase its role as a gateway from the grains produced in the country’s northern half,” commented CEO Guilherme Eloy.

The company’s total investment in the Centre-North fertilizer transport corridor is currently estimated at BRL 300 million, of which BRL 120 million was used in the initial stage of the project, while the remainder of the funds were directed to the rail dispatch project at the Port of Itaqui and the multimodal terminal in Palmeirantes.

Source: Notícias Agrícolas

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