Brazilian Association News

Brazil's policy of setting minimum freight rates is reducing the volume of cargo at Brazilian ports as farmers and agricultural exporters have difficulty arranging transportation at higher cost, according to the head of a Brazilian ports association.The country instituted minimum rates for freight above the previous market rate as part of a deal to end a truckers' strike over high diesel prices in May. The strike paralyzed the country's roadways, preventing agriculture exports…

The growth trend continues in the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, a trend that has been relatively constant during the last five year. While shipbuilding is ‘ship shape,’ the reality of the Brazilian ship repair industry is somewhat muddled, populated by only a few dedicated repair yards as the focus has been squarely on newbuild. On the other hand, Brazil’s ship conversion industry has enjoyed steady growth, growth directly related to orders from Petrobras, mostly to convert VLCC tanker hulls to FPSOs. According to Ariovaldo Rocha, President of SINAVAL (Ship Construction, Repair and Offshore National Syndicate), the investments in the shipbuilding industry have reached around $56.5 billion in the last decade and since 2004 the industry growth has averaged 19.5% per year.

If and when Brazil gets its maritime act together, oh what a shipbuilding market force it could be. The modern Brazilian shipbuilding industry was established in the 1960s, induced by a broad and effective governmental policy. The 1960s and 1970s saw the rise of the merchant marine and shipbuilding industry in Brazil. The creation of the “Merchant Marine Fund” and the “Tax for the Merchant Marine Renewal,” in 1958, together with other specific targets set by the government at that time, made investments available to the shipbuilding industry and for the development of the merchant marine in general. Counting on such incentives, new shipyards such as Ishibras and Verolme were built…

Soybeans that are free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are available in growing volumes, despite claims by German poultry producers that supplies are falling, three associations that support GMO-free crops and trade said. German poultry and egg producers said last week they had given up on a promise to consumers to avoid feeding birds with soy containing GMOs because of lower supplies of GMO-free soybeans, especially from Brazil. "According to agricultural analysts from Brazil, the availability of GMO-free soybeans is increasing rapidly," the ProTerra Foundation; the Brazilian association of non-GMO grain producers ABRANGE; and VLOG, a German association for GMO-free food, said in a joint statement on Monday.

Marintec South America Completes 10 Editions with the Brazilian Shipbuilding and Offshore Industry Pursuing Excellence and Global Competitiveness. Brazilian shipbuilding and offshore industry want to occupy a new space in the naval industry in the world map. The resumption of investment, driven by orders from Petrobras planned by 2020, created a promising scenario for the shipyards and the chain of services and supplies. The goal now is another: Creating a sustainable market in the long term and strengthen the global competitiveness of domestic firms. This is the balance at the tenth Navalshore - Marintec South America - Conference and Exhibition of Shipbuilding and Offshore 2013 event held between August 15-17 at the SulAmerica Exhibition Centre, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

For companies interested in operating in Brazil, it is important to understand the country. •    ABAC – Brazilian Coastal Ship         Owners Association. In addition, it also lodges the companies of the Port Support segment. Syndarma is a proponent of the Brazilian maritime sectors, demonstrating to the public the importance of the employment of Brazilian registered vessels in Brazilian waters as well as the necessity to expand the Brazilian merchant fleet, the return of its position of importance to the country’s external commerce and its participation on the exploration of the O&G reserves on the Brazilian coast. Syndarma has 48 associated companies in the coastal…

Brazil's state-owned Petrobras confirmed the discovery of a significant amount of light oil in the Santos Basin. The confirmation was made after the company conducted tests in a vertical well and detected a flow of 4,900 barrels of oil and 150,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day. The highly productive reservoir was found under a 2,000-meter thick layer of salt, also known as pre-salt. Petrobras said it would make further investigations to determine the total oil and gas reserve of the well. According to experts, a reservoir that lies underneath a layer of pre-salt is commercially viable if its total capacity exceeds 700 million barrels.