Amazon River News

Brazil is the world’s largest grain exporter, accounting for 24% of the world’s exports in 2022, and congestion has surged this year due to large harvests and low water levels in the Amazon River.“Congestion for ships loading grain cargoes at Brazilian ports has surged this year due to large harvests and low water levels in the Amazon River. Between January and November, the average waiting time reached 15 days, up from nine days average between 2018 and 2022 and well above the global average of five days for grain loadings in 2023…

For centuries, riverside communities, including the "quilombola" descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations and ranches, have shared Xingu Island in Brazil's Amazon Basin.Its inhabitants live in brightly painted wooden houses overlooking rivers where small boats crisscross between islands and Abaetetuba city on the mainland to trade fish, seeds and fruits gathered from the Amazon forest in their backyard.In 2016, however, strangers docked on Xingu Island, in Para state…

Brazil’s commodities export hubs are strained with record volumes of soy, corn and sugar to be moved at a time of the year when rains start to increase in southern ports, according to traders, analysts and shipping data.Exporters are reporting delays in coffee shipments due to a tight availability of trucks and containers, while loading waiting times for vessels have jumped, resulting in additional costs for traders and delays for the commodities to reach destinations.Brazil ports have been dealing with high volumes this year…

The water level at a major river port in Brazil's Amazon rainforest hit its lowest point in at least 121 years on Monday, as a historic drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem.Rapidly drying tributaries to the mighty Amazon river have left boats stranded, cutting off food and water supplies to remote jungle villages, while high water temperatures are suspected of killing more than 100 endangered river dolphins.The port in Manaus…

A barge carrying three trucks and 2,000 empty cooking gas cylinders lies stranded on the vast sand banks of a diminished Rio Negro river after running aground last month, highlighting the plight of river transport in the Amazon region hit by severe drought.Officials warned that low river levels risk disrupting grains exports from nearby farm states. On the Madeira, they said barge routes used by grain firms such as Cargill, Bunge and Amaggi, are open but loads are being reduced as a precaution.Shipping and logistics group A.P.

A pair of new modern pusher tugs has entered service for Hidrovias do Brasil S.A., pushing barges containing bulk products in the Amazon River system.The newly built shallow-draft vessels, HB MAPARÁ and HB DOURADA, are RApide 4600-Z3 push boats designed by Canada's Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL) and built by Uzmar Shipyard in Izmit, Turkey.According to the designer, both vessels are designed to meet ABS and Brazilian Flag State (NORMAM-02/DPC) requirements and provide the highest standards for crew comfort and safety.

Belov Engenharia Shipyard, located in Salvador, Brazil, delivered the first Robert Allan Ltd. designed RApide 2000-E pushboat – HB Poraque. It is the first of two battery/diesel electric vessels for Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. HB Poraque is a battery electric shallow draft pushboat, with a second vessel, HB Enguia, due for delivery in May 2023. The vessels will provide terminal assistance in the Amazon River system and can perform their core operations purely on battery power.The RApide 2000-E designs are fitted with a DC grid diesel-electric propulsion system…

Hundreds of dredging rafts operated by illegal miners have gathered in a gold rush on the Madeira River, a major tributary of the Amazon, floating hundreds of miles as state and federal authorities dispute who is responsible for stopping them.The flotilla of rafts equipped with pumps are moored together in lines that nearly stretch across the vast Madeira, and a Reuters witness spotted plumes of exhaust indicating they are vacuuming the riverbed for gold."We counted no less than 300 rafts.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winners of the 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said: “This year, the students were tasked with designing a RoPax ferry to carry around 300 passengers, many of whom prefer the use of outdoor hammocks, plus vehicles and cargo on the Amazon River between Manaus and Tefé ona trip that is to last 20 hours. Because of the continuing spread of Covid 19 in Brazil and its transmission via river transport…

South American logistics operator Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. has ordered a fleet of diesel/battery electric pushboats from Belov Engenharia Shipyard, in Salvador, Brazil. Construction has commenced, and the first vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2022.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, the innovative vessels are expected to be the world’s first battery electric shallow draft pushboats when they begin operating to provide terminal assistance in the Amazon River system.The new vessels are of the RApide 2000-E design…

JRC Iberia delivered a complete bridge concept on board the passenger vessel Amazonas II, built at Drassanes Dalmau shipyard in Barcelona, Spain.The bridge supply is composed of a full JRC navigation and external and internal communication package including VDR, ECDIS, Alphatron BNWAS, AlphaSea pilot and Talk-Back system among others.Amazonas II is the latest passenger catamaran ordered by shipowner Consorcio Fluvial Del Amazonas and will be operating in a remote area of Perú between the towns of Iquitos and Cavallococha at the source of the Amazon River close to the Brazilian frontier…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) said it is adding new requirements for its 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry, in an action reflecting the unprecedented developments of 2020. This year, students have been tasked with designing a RoPax ferry for the Amazon River, between Manaus and Tefé, some 200 miles further inland.Due to the widespread impacts of COVID-19, the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association is asking registered and…

The Amazon river dolphin is an intelligent and friendly mammal that appears to grin and flush like a human blushing when it gets excited.But some are concerned about the world's largest freshwater dolphin coming under threat again in Brazil, where fishermen hunt and kill it illegally to make bait for a catfish called piracatinga.A legal moratorium on fishing the piracatinga ended last month, prompting calls for its renewal from environmentalists and researchers such as biologist Vera da Silva…

Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. has started operating two new pusher tugs custom-designed by Vancouver, Canada based Robert Allan Ltd, pushing barges containing bulk products along the Amazon River system. This HB PIRARARA shallow-draft pusher tug and sister vessel HB PIRARUCU have a Robert allan RApide 4000-Z3 tug design and were constructed by Estaleiro Rio Maguari in Belem, Brazil.Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were used in the early phases of the design work to optimize the hull shapes and minimize total convoy resistance…

Prominent on this year's prestigous MarineNews MN100 list is Robert Allan Ltd. Robert Allan Ltd. is a recognized world leader in innovative Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering with a particular focus on harbor and seagoing tugs, shallow draft towing vessels and fireboats for major world ports. Robert Allan Ltd. has won many awards for their design work from a variety of publications and other organizations.The Company:Robert Allan Ltd. is Canada’s most senior consulting Naval Architectural firm, established in Vancouver, B.C. in 1930.

Natural gas is quickly becoming the “fuel of choice” for the maritime industry, not only for its potential in reducing environmentally hazardous gas emissions, but also for its reduced cost when compared to other fossil fuel-based alternatives.For natural gas to become a preferred marine fuel, its availability needs to improve, and this fact alone has hindered its growth in some parts of the world. Some of Robert Allan Ltd.'s clients are actively engaged in developing the required infrastructure to make natural gas more readily available.Robert Allan Ltd.

Marlink has re-established its commitment to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises to provide its Sealink services on the fleet of four cruise vessels, plus two new cruise ships which are due to enter operational service in 2019. The contract renewal reflects Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' desire to meet the requirements of the growing market for adventure and expedition cruises, as the ships are now in remote areas that were previously considered inaccessible for cruise ships, such as Arctic and the Antarctic.Marlink’s global Sealink services provide stable…

The containership segment’s commitment to ocean sustainability has been underscored with another order for Thordon Bearings’ COMPAC water lubricated propeller shaft bearing concept. The decision by Brazil-based cabotage carrier Log-In Logística to select the Thordon solution for a 2700TEU newbuild Log-In Polaris, is indicative of a trend in the sector for mitigating against the risk of oil pollution by adopting the simpler, environmentally-safer water-lubricated propel shaft concept. Extensive in scope, Thordon will supply a complete COMPAC water lubricated propeller shaft system that entails: fwd and aft COMPAC bearings, its proprietary water quality package (WQP)…

Niels-Erik Lund began his passenger ship career in 1969 as a trainee in a Danish passenger shipping company, DFDS. In the nearly 50 years since, the passenger and cruise shipping industry has changed many times over, with consistent growth being the only similarity between then an now. Today Lund, President & CEO of Sunstone Ships, Inc., has an unfettered view of the expedition cruise sector that he helped to create. With the expedition and luxury cruise segments set for fast growth, Maritime Reporter spoke to Lund to help put the market in better perspective.

A new fleet of pusher tugs and barges for Louis Dreyfus Company have recently begun construction in Brazil, all to customized designs from Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, Canada. The vessels will transport bulk grain products on the Amazon River system, with an expected delivery in 2017. During the early phases of design, extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to optimize the hull shapes to minimize total convoy resistance. In all cases, the z-drives are fitted in customized tunnels designed to optimize flow and propulsion efficiency while reducing draft.

Vard Holdings Limited (“VARD”), one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels, confirmed the contracts for the design and construction of two luxury expedition cruise vessels for TUI Group’s German luxury cruise business Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The contracts had been announced on 26 August 2016, with effectiveness of the contracts still subject to customary financing conditions. All conditions have now been fulfilled and the contracts have become effective. Both vessels are specially designed for cruises in polar regions in the Arctic and Antarctica, but are also prepared for operations in warm water destinations such as the Amazon river. The luxury expedition cruise vessels will be approximately 16,100 gross tons, about 138 meters long and 22 meters wide.

A ship carrying corn was scheduled to leave Brazil for the United States on Monday, three shipping agents said, as a strong dollar and plentiful South American supply makes importing corn attractive to U.S. buyers. The ship owned by Bunge Ltd, carrying 54,000 tonnes of corn, was scheduled to depart Itacoatiara Port on the Amazon river, data from Williams Shipping agents and Brazil-based Cargonave showed. A third source, who declined to be named, said the cargo was bound for the port of Wilmington, in North Carolina. Bunge did not respond to a request for comment. The sale reflects the increasing competitiveness of grains from Brazil, which has drastically increased output over the past decade and more recently has improved shipping logistics. Brazil, the world's No.

Some veteran Mississippi pushboats and barges have been transported to South America for second careers. However, conditions on a great river like the Paraguay-Paraná are different. It has sharp bends, shallow stretches, and includesremote reachestotally lacking in infrastructure. Building on extensive experience designing for the shallow rivers of Canada's frontiernorthland, Robert Allan Ltd., Naval Architects from Vancouver, BC have taken on the challenge of creating a new generation of specialized tug and barge systems to suit these demanding environments. A waterway logistics corporation, Hidrovias do Brasil, was the firm's first South American client to commission new purpose-built shallow draft vessels.