The world’s largest ore carrier, Vale Brasil, was loaded for the first time on Tuesday, May 24 at Pier I at Ponta da Madeira Port Terminal (TPPM) in São Luís, Maranhão. The ship, which was loaded with 391,000 t of iron ore, will now sail for the Port of Dalian in China. Vale Brasil is the latest milestone in Vale’s long history of investment in infrastructure, a key element for the competitiveness of Brazilian iron ore on the international market. Vale has also announced that Ponta da Madeira Port Terminal (TPPM) in São Luís will become the country’s leading port in terms of cargo handling capacity and volume in 2012. Besides handling more iron ore, Ponta da Madeira will become an important transport hub for soy and corn produced in the northeast (mainly Maranhão and Piauí), North (Tocantins) and centre-west regions, using a new route provided by the North-South Railroad (FNS), operated by Vale and interconnected with the Carajás Railroad (EFC).
“We don’t stop investing and innovating. Vale’s investments in infrastructure are the biggest ever made in the country, resulting in efficient logistics for our customers. We invested $9 billion over the last six years and, in 2011 alone, a further $5 billion will be invested in the integrated mine-railroad-port-shipping chain,” explained Integrated Operations executive director, Eduardo Bartolomeo.
Vale Brasil was ordered by Vale from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea. It is the biggest ore carrier in the world, with a 400,000-t capacity, 362-m length and 65-m width. Vale Brasil is the first of seven ore carriers ordered by Vale from the South Korean shipyard, totaling an investment of $748 million. Vale has also ordered 12 ships each with a capacity of 400,000 t from the Rongsheng Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries shipyard in China. These vessels, being built at the Chinese shipyard, involve a total investment of $1.6 billion.
A highly efficient logistics infrastructure is a key element for competitiveness in the iron ore market. In order to maximise the efficiency of its operations and meet growing global demand, Vale is developing various initiatives to obtain economies of scale. The ordered vessels will be part of the logistical solution between the company’s maritime terminals in Brazil and Asian customers. The ore carriers have a high standard of safety and will contribute to reducing the cost of long haul maritime transportation of iron ore to steelmakers.
TPPM will be an alternative to the three major ports of the South and Southeast regions, in Rio Grande (Rio Grande do Sul), Paranaguá (Paraná) and Santos (São Paulo). To transform Ponta da Madeira into the country’s largest port, Vale will invest $2.9 billion to increase capacity, by installing a new pier (Pier IV), dredging to increase the water depth (the port is already one of the world’s deepest), and double tracking a 115-km stretch of the EFC.
Pier IV will raise Ponta da Madeira Port Terminal’s annual handling capacity to 150 Mt in 2012. It will be able to receive and load two ships simultaneously. Intended for large vessels, the pier will be used by ships of between 150,000 and 400,000 t. Ponta da Madeira is already one of the largest ports in the world and the only one that can fully load the 346,000-t bulk carrier Berge Stahl, and now Vale Brasil.
Ponta da Madeira Port Terminal is a private port belonging to Vale. Opened in 1986, it is located in the Itaqui Port Complex on the eastern bank of São Marcos Bay, on São Luis Island, Maranhão. The terminal has three piers. Pier I has a depth of 23 m and a berth length of 330 m. It is able to receive very large ships such as Vale Brasil, the world’s biggest ore carrier, which has a 400,000-t capacity, 362-m length and 65-m width.
Pier III has two continuous berths with a total length of 694 m, although it prioritises the simultaneous docking of two smaller ships. Both Pier I and Pier III handle iron ore, pellets and manganese. Pier II, leased by Vale from Empresa Maranhense de Administração Portuária (EMAP) and administered by the Port of Itaqui, has a depth of 18 m and a length of 280 m. It is used for goods such as soy, pig iron and copper concentrate, with priority given to the latter two products due to their high added value.
In 2010, TPPM handled 99.1 Mt of iron ore and general cargo, up from 91.7 Mt in 2009.
At Ponta da Madeira Port Terminal, Vale has developed an artificial intelligence system that allows remote operation of stackers and reclaimers used to transfer ore from the dockyard to the ship. The system enables machinery to be controlled remotely from the Port Control and Operations Center. Maranhão is the first state in Brazil to have a port terminal with all dockyard machinery operated by remote control.
In addition, Vale’s port employs advanced mathematical models that simulate ships’ docking behaviour at the piers, forecasting variables such as wind speed and currents. The company also keeps a physical model of the port terminal at the University of São Paulo, where simulations are performed of ship docking and undocking maneuvers, as well as maritime currents and tides, and their effects on ships that are maneuvering and docked at the piers.
The model is also used for training the port’s technical team, besides enabling staff and the Navy to assess the feasibility of different ship maneuvers. The 1,600 m 2 model was built in 1979 in a giant hangar, through a technical and scientific partnership between Vale and the University of São Paulo.