North Brazil News

Brazilian farmers in top soy state Mato Grosso signed a memorandum of understanding with the Panama Canal Authority to evaluate ways to cut transportation costs and boost Brazilian grain volumes using the waterway, the authority's chief administrator said. The canal's administration is looking to increase its participation in rising Brazilian grain exports, since a large part of grain trade expansion in Brazil is via new terminals in the northern part of the country, which are closer to the canal.

CMA CGM announces its customers that in a continuous effort to improve its services, NEFGUI and NORTH BRAZIL FEEDER will now be calling at Vila Do Conde in replacement of Belem.   NEFGUI rotation will be as follows: Algeciras - Tilbury - Rotterdam - Le Havre - Philipsburg - Port of Spain - Degrad des Cannes - Vila do Conde - Fortaleza - Natal First SB call at Vila do Conde: January 25th, 2016 with m/v CMA CGM MARSEILLE voy. 069RTS First NB call at Vila do Conde: January 26th, 2016 with m/v CMA CGM MARSEILLE voy. 070RTN   NORTH BRAZIL FEEDER rotation will be as follows: Pointe-à-Pitre - Philipsburg - Port of Spain - Degrad des Cannes - Itaqui - Vila do Conde First call at Vila do Conde: January 29th, 2016 with m/v NADJA voy. 023FRT

The CMA CGM Group Informed that the CMA CGM MARSEILLE – 2nd vessel of its GUYANAMAX 3 - vessels series – was delivered in South Korea on July 29th. This 2,100 TEU containers capacity vessel – including 530 Reefer containers – is 190 meters long and 30 meters wide. It was built by the Korean shipyards Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and will be sailing under the UK flag. The CMA CGM MARSEILLE will be positioned on the North Europe French Guiana North Brazil (NEFGUI) line. This 42-days rotation joins directly North of Europe, the Caribbean, French Guyana and North Brazil each week. The vessel will call: Algeciras, Rotterdam, Tillbury, Rouen, Le Havre, Philipsburg, Port of Spain, Degrad des Cannes, Belem, Fortaleza, Natal and Algeciras.

Container shippers the CMA CGM Group announce that the CMA CGM Cayenne, the first vessel of its three-vessels Guyanamax series, was delivered on July 21 in South Korea. The 2,100 TEU capacity vessel – including 530 Reefer containers – is 190 meters long and 30 meters wide. It was built by the Korean shipyards Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and will be sailing under the U.K. flag. The CMA CGM Cayenne will be positioned on the North Europe French Guiana North Brazil (NEFGUI) line. This 42-day rotation joins directly North of Europe, the Caribbean, French Guyana and North Brazil each week.

Two new grain - and oilseed-loading terminals have been inaugurated at Miritituba and Barcarena in the northern Brazil state of Para. Together, they are expected to increase the country's export capacity by 4 million tons per year. This year, the new terminals will handle about 2.5 million tons, mostly soy, and they are expected to be operating at full capacity next year. Brazil's soy harvests have been growing each year, overloading highways leading to the jammed southern ports of Santos and Paranagua and slowing exports. The new terminals will allow some of the grain to be diverted away from the crowded southern ports by taking advantage…

In an effort to spread out oil and gas production to other parts of the country and increase overall oil production, Brazil has finally intensified hydrocarbon exploration along its northeastern and northern coasts. These are some of the poorest regions in the country and infrastructure for oil and gas exploration is minimal, yet significant discoveries and seismic indicators of large reservoirs are tantalizing and have attracted major local and foreign investors. Potential for oil discoveries in the area is proven, yet players will be faced by many challenges offshore and on land in order to uncork reservoirs at the Northern Frontier.

CMA CGM improves the US East Coast port coverage of its CAGEMA service. The CMA CGM Group is pleased to announce the reshuffling of its CAGEMA Main Liner service, linking the United States East Coast and the Caribbean, effective 9th September 2011. *The addition of two direct calls to New York and Jacksonville, enhancing port coverage of the US East Coast. Goods to and from Castries will be carried on the CAGEMA Inter Island feeder service, via Vieux Fort. El Guamache’s port will be served by the Caribraz service (linking the Caribbean to Brazil), while goods to Oranjestad will be transported on the Venezuela Feeder, via Cartagena. “In addition to wider coverage of the US East Coast…

Horizon Marine has initiated a Joint Industry Project (JIP) with two Eddy Watch – Trinidad/Venezuela clients and a modeling group at the of to develop a dynamic numerical model for predicting the migration of North Brazil Currents (NBC) rings towards . NBC rings are energetic, deepwater oceanic features that carry 3.0+ knot currents and significantly interfere with offshore operations as they travel northwest along the coast from North Brazil to . Utilizing surface drifters and satellite remote sensing, Horizon Marine has successfully tracked the formation, separation, and migration of 46 powerful rings that have shed from the NBC for 15 different companies since September 2001.

The dry cargo freight market was generally little changed last week, with Capesize conditions remaining basically steady but quiet, brokers said. Panamax activity was brisk from South America, but rates failed to advance as rapidly as owners had hoped for, they added. However, some firmer rates were seen, with Cosco's fixture of a 1990-built 74,000 dwt vessel delivery north Brazil trip China at $11,500 daily plus a $250,000 ballast bonus. Dreyfus was also active and paid a firmer $10,250 daily plus $265,000 ballast bonus for 1991-built Sea Ilex 66,000 dwt delivery Plate April 5/10 trip Continent. On March 28, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) rose four points to 1…

Woods Hole Group, Inc. of Falmouth, Massachusetts has been contracted by BP Trinidad and Tobago, LLC (bpTT) to design, build and install a meteorological and oceanographic measurement system on the bpTT Cassia oil and gas production complex, offshore eastern Trinidad. Woods Hole Group, Inc. will provide system design, integration, installation, and real time data display along with monthly data monitoring and archiving during the 24-month project. Measurement of the predominant and spurious currents and waves along with their impact in this environment is important for the continued safe and efficient operation of bpTT’s production platforms off the east coast of Trinidad.