Porto Itapoá expands its yard by 50,000 m²

This first delivery is part of a 200,000 m² expansion project which will, at the end of the works, give the development a total capacity of 450,000 m²

Piacentini, the construction company responsible for the expansion of Porto Itapoá’s yard, has finished the first stage of the expansion works this Monday (August 15). With this, 50,000 m² will be added to the Terminal’s yard, this space having the static capacity to store approximately 7,000 containers.  

It is estimated that within 60 days this area will be completely cleared for operation, after being subject to inspections and authorization procedures by Ibama, the Brazilian IRS and ANTAQ. Cássio Schreiner, President of Porto Itapoá, recalled that the construction works are carried out in accordance with the planned schedule. “We were very glad to have such an important upgrade in our operations, as we know what this will represent for us as well as for our clients”, he said.

The expansion of the yard will continue. Another 150,000 m² will be built, totaling 450,000 m² of total built area at the end of the construction works. When finished, the yard will allow us to double the current container handling numbers.

Sergni Pessoa Junior, director of operations, environment and technology, highlighted the importance of meeting deadlines for the Terminal’s strategy. “We thank Piacentini for this partnership and for its commitment to finishing the construction works in a quick, meticulous – but most of all, safe – way”, he concluded.

Sérgio Melotti, Piacentini’s director, praised the trust placed by Porto Itapoá in yet another challenge. The construction company was responsible for the first stage of the expansion, completed in 2018. “It’s a source of pride for us to finish these works precisely on time, especially since we faced rather challenging times, with a lot of rain and increased inflation”, he revealed.

These works are the result of a BRL 750 million investment and started in February 2022. It created 170 jobs, 98 of which direct jobs.

Investment in infrastructure

Estimating the expansion of its service capacity, Porto Itapoá has been making investments in infrastructure. It has acquired another five RTGs, mobile cranes on wheels, which are suitable for handling containers in the yard. The Terminal already has 17 of these pieces of equipment (manufactured by ZPMC), but the new RTGs will be remotely controlled – Porto Itapoá will be the first one in Brazil with this technology. These pieces of equipment will be delivered in January 2023.

Porto Itapoá has also acquired two Reach Stacker forklifts, which are already in operation and will be used in operations carried out in the Terminal’s yard. The main goal is to maximize services between ships and the yard, complementing operations by using the RTG, a mobile crane, which is used in operations carried out inside ports to handle and stack containers.

Another important acquisition consists of the nine terminal tractors (TTs), which arrived in July, in addition to nine buggies, the TTs’ “trailers”, which have already arrived. These are now part of our fleet of 40 vehicles (manufactured by Rucker), which can carry 65 tons each, equivalent to two 20-foot containers.

Regional development

The expansion of the port’s handling capacity will have a direct impact on the city and the region as whole, generating appropriate conditions for increasing local job offer and income. This increase of the port’s operating area will make the region more attractive for the arrival of other companies that support port activities in Itapoá and Garuva.