Macquarie Invests in Brazil Port Operator CLI to Fund $260M Deal
Australia's Macquarie group is investing in Brazilian ports by taking a stake in port operator CLI and funding a deal to buy sugar and grain terminals in Latin America's largest port, Santos, for $260 million, the companies said on Friday.Railway operator Rumo said in a securities filing late it has sold 80% of its subsidiary EPSA, which manages terminals 16 and 19 in Santos, to CLI for 1.4 billion reais ($260 million). Rumo will remain a minority shareholder.CLI, formally Corredor Logistica e Infraestrutura, belonged to the Brazilian private equity fund IG4.
Brazil's Terminal Operators Accuse Shipping Companies of Anticompetitive Practices
The dispute between Brazilian port operators and global shipping giants Maersk and MSC is expected to escalate in the coming weeks, according to Brazilian newspaper Valor.Local port terminal operators, through their industry group ABTP, are trying to prevent Maersk and MSC from participating in an auction to operate terminal 10 in Latin America's largest port, Santos port, near Brazil's financial capital, Sao Paulo.Maersk and MSC already operate terminals in Brazil.
Fog Halts Shipping at Brazil's Biggest Port
Dense fog halted the movement of ships in and out of Brazil's biggest port, Santos, early on Monday, according to port administrator Companhia Docas do Estado de São Paulo (Codesp), disrupting shipping operations at a time that sugar exports are at their annual peak. Santos is the main port for the export of soy, sugar and coffee in Brazil, which is one of the world's top producers of those commodities. Last week the port had to shut shipping operations for two mornings also due to thick fog. Reporting by Gustavo Bonano
Access to Santos Port Back to Normal After Fire
Access to Brazil's largest port, Santos, was fully restored for cargo and passenger vehicles on Monday after one entrance had been partially blocked for a week due to a fire at a nearby fuel-tank facility, highway operator Ecovias said. Authorities had blocked the entrance due to its proximity to the fire at the fuel-tank facility operated by Ultracargo, a unit of Brazilian chemical and fuel-distribution company Grupo Ultra. An entrance on the opposite side of the port's shipping channel, in Guaruja, was not affected.
Fuel Storage Tank Fire at Santos Port Continues
A fire at a fuel storage facility near Brazil's largest port Santos entered its fourth day on Sunday as 110 firefighters worked to stop the flames from spreading further, the local fire department said. Six fuel tanks run by Ultracargo, owned by Brazil's Grupo Ultra, were hit since the blaze started on Thursday morning, sending a column of thick black smoke into the air. Two of them were still burning late on Sunday, the fire department and Ultracargo said. Firefighters said there was little they could do to extinguish the flames before most of the fuel was consumed. Instead, they were focusing on dousing nearby tanks to keep the fire from spreading. Traffic was diverted around the site of the blaze, blocking one of the roads to the port.
Truckers Protest at Brazil's Paranagua Port
Hundreds of truck drivers blocked traffic arriving at southern Brazil's Paranagua port on Thursday to protest a policy that fines them for parking outside designated areas. Shipment of commodities like corn and soybeans was not affected, the port authority said in a statement, though protesters burning tires and marching slowed traffic arriving at the docks for a few hours. To smooth out the arrival and loading of grains from Brazil's interior, Paranagua fines drivers parked outside of designated lots.
Carnival Not Expected to Interrupt Brazilian Shipping
Brazil's main ports will continue to load and unload ships through the Carnival festival although port administrators will be off from late Feb. 27 to midday on Feb. 28, port authorities said on Tuesday. Labor at the country's southern ports will be on the docks loading and unloading ships around the clock as usual despite Brazil's Carnival festivities, which begin officially on Saturday, Feb. 24, said authorities at leading shipping ports. At Brazil's largest port Santos as well as at the country's main grain port Paranagua, only the administrative offices will be closed from 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 to 1:00 p.m. on Feb. 28 with no expected interruption in ship movement.
Brazil Ports To Work Through Carnival
Brazil's main ports will continue to load and unload ships through the Carnival festival although port administrators will be off from late Feb. 27 to midday on Feb. 28, port authorities said. Labor at the country's southern ports will be on the docks loading and unloading ships around the clock as usual despite Brazil's Carnival festivities which begin officially on Saturday, Feb. 24, said authorities at leading shipping ports. At Brazil's largest port Santos as well as at the country's main grain port Paranagua, only the administrative offices will be closed from 1900 p.m. on Feb. 27 to 1300 p.m. on Feb. 28 with no expected interruption in ship movement. - (Reuters)
