Ponta da Madeira is a
Brazilian private
port, a large
iron ore loading port in
São Luís, in the Northern part of
Brazil, and one of the only terminals in the country suited for the ultra large
Valemax
''Valemax'' ships are a fleet of very large ore carriers (VLOC) owned or chartered by the Brazilian mining company Vale S.A. to carry iron ore from Brazil to European and Asian ports. With a capacity ranging from 380,000 to 400,000 tons deadwe ...
ships. In 2020, the port of Ponta da Madeira handled 190.1 million tons. It's the national champion in cargo handling.
The Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal, owned by mining company
Vale, sits next to the public
Porto do Itaqui Port of Itaqui is a Brazilian port located in the city of São Luís, Maranhão. It is not to be confused with the city of Itaqui, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, near the border with Argentina. The main cargoes include aluminum ingots and bars, ...
, in the state of
Maranhão, in northern
Brazil. It was chosen as the terminus of the
Estrada de Ferro Carajas, where trains unload
iron ore for shipping overseas, mainly to Europe and Eastern Asia. The terminal, abutting the Bay of São Marcos (St. Mark) has a natural
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of 26 meters (86 feet) at low tide; 14m (46') tides proved a significant problem due to the strong currents generated, but those were circumvented through the placement of underwater concrete "breakers."
The terminal and Itaqui port are still primarily iron ports, but have increasingly also turned to other cargoes, especially bulk agricultural goods. The smallish container patio is dwarfed by the piles and holding areas of the iron wharves, capable of handling
ships up to 500m long and 500,000 metric tons in dead weight.
In recent years, Vale has announced its intention to build huge steelworks next to the terminal.
In 2012, the train journey from the ore mine to the port was featured in an episode of
Countdown to Collision, broadcast by
The Discovery Channel.
, the port is being expanded to handle large volumes of iron ore from the
S11D
S11D, or Serra Sul, is an iron ore mining project undertaken by Vale in Serra dos Carajás, Brazil. It is the largest iron ore mine project in the world, at 90 million tonnes per year.
Project
The project is a $19.5 billion investment, which ...
mine near Carajas.
See also
*
Economy of Brazil
*
Transport in Brazil
Transport infrastructure in Brazil is characterized by strong regional differences and lack of development of the national rail network. Brazil's fast-growing economy, and especially the growth in exports, will place increasing demands on the t ...
References
External links
Article about the terminal at CVRD site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terminal Maritimo de Ponta da Madeira
Ports and harbours of Brazil
Buildings and structures in Maranhão
São Luís, Maranhão