Sindaçúcar-PE unveils new shiploader at the Port of Recife

A new ship-loading system was presented by the Sugar and Alcohol Industry Union of the State of Pernambuco (Sindaçúcar-PE) at the Port of Recife on Saturday (6).

With an investment of R$13 million, the shiploader was designed in China and manufactured in Jaboatão dos Guararapes by the company Máquinas Piratininga.

The equipment was designed to increase efficiency and agility in transporting sugar from the sugar terminal to supply cargo vessels.

The president of Sindaçúcar-PE, who is also the executive president of NovaBio, Renato Cunha, says that investing in the port terminal in Recife is a duty to promote greater efficiency and visibility for the state. According to the executive, the new shiploader updates and advances local logistics.

“It is an innovative investment, with a modern shiploader, with more efficiency, less waiting time for loading the vessel, creating a better connection between the shore cranes and the ship itself, always showing the ongoing modernization of logistics in Pernambuco, a strategic state in the Northeast,” explained the president.

With average exports of 400,000 tonnes of sugar per crop, the Port of Recife receives the product not only from Pernambuco, but also from Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, and, in some cases, from northern Alagoas and other Northeast states, according to Sindaçúcar-PE superintendent Marcelo Guerra. He highlighted that the new equipment will allow the terminal to once again load 1,000 tonnes of sugar per hour.

“All bulk sugar from Pernambuco, Paraíba, and Rio Grande do Norte is stored and shipped through the sugar terminal, which is fully automated, with no manual handling. We have a static storage capacity of 170,000 tonnes, a receiving capacity of 500 tonnes per hour, and a shipping capacity of 1,000 tonnes per hour,” he said.

Agility
The director of Usina Cucaú, from the EQM Group, Paulo Júlio de Mello, emphasized that the equipment is highly modern, manufactured in the state of Pernambuco, incorporating the latest technology. The director also noted the pace of project development, manufacturing, installation, and equipment replacement.

According to Paulo Júlio, the change could improve the state’s image in the global sugar trade.

“This will allow the international market to look at Pernambuco more attractively due to the loading speed of sugar and the potential of this new equipment. The less time the vessel remains at the port, the more it pays a premium to those exporting due to the time saved. If the time exceeds the limit, you pay an extra cost. So it is important to accelerate loading speed to improve efficiency and achieve a financial result based on that speed,” Mello explained.

Exports
According to Renato Cunha, production is expected to reach around 1.2 million tonnes of sugar, of which 400,000 tonnes should be shipped to the United States, Europe, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. The numbers are similar to the previous crop, according to the executive.

The sector, however, has been impacted by a drop in commodity prices, which have already fallen close to 30%. Tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on Brazilian products have also affected export profitability.

“The crop is not encouraging from a price standpoint. We are very concerned. The mills are doing the hard work of eliminating unnecessary costs while preserving the core of the business and maintaining jobs. Despite setbacks, such as the recent U.S. tariff hike that Sindaçúcar, through its members and with the help of people in Brasília, is trying to remove and reverse, as it was imposed unexpectedly,” Cunha said.

The president of Sindaçúcar-PE also said that new negotiations are expected in the coming days to reduce the 50% tariff on sugar. In addition, Brazil’s zero-tariff export quota is expected to reach parity with quotas granted to other countries exporting to the United States.

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Source: Folha de Pernambuco

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