TCP expands operational draft from 11.8 to 12.1 meters

TCP, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, had its maximum operational draft increased from 11.80 meters to 12.10 meters, an increase of 30 centimeters. Approved on December 7, the measure applies to berths 217 and 218 and may be extended to berth 216. For this depth to be possible, the Port of Paranaguá underwent deepening dredging works between the years 2017 and 2018. In 2020, approvals were made with the Brazilian Navy in a job led by the Port Authority with the help of TCP and other port segments.

“Over the past 6 months, we have worked on proving the feasibility of increasing the operational draft for large container ships, which will take place gradually over the next few months,” explains the company’s Commercial and Institutional Director, Thomas Lima.

The graph below shows TCP’s container movement since January 2017:

TCP Cargo Handling | Jan 2017 to Oct 2020 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (To request a DataLiner demo click here)

According to the director, the advantage for customers concerns the mooring windows of ships with LOA (maximum length) of up to 345 meters, which will become more flexible, therefore making the terminal more competitive for shipowners, importers, and exporters. The operational capacity will be expanded by more than 140,000 TEUs in the year. “The attractiveness of a container terminal is directly linked to its productivity. With these advances, the large ships will be operated more effectively, and our customers will be able to enjoy a greater offer of stopovers and space for shipments, which is essential for the expected economic recovery in the coming years, and for our vigorous agribusiness ”, he says.

According to Thomas Lima, the approval of the new operational draft is another step towards transforming the terminal into a maritime hub, and new investments in maritime infrastructure are expected. “We jointly planned the other port entities to improve maritime infrastructure. This will happen with the removal of rocks in the main access, revision of the nautical signaling in the accesses, and with the dredging of the new dolphins,” he concluded.

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