Minas Gerais News

Brazilian miners including Vale SA are resuming production in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais after being forced to halt some operations due to heavy rains that increased the risk of accidents and caused logistics disruptions.Vale said in a securities filing on Monday that the Brucutu and Mariana mines are gradually ramping up production as part of its Vitoria-Minas railway was cleared, allowing the iron ore to be moved.According to Vale, the stoppages affected production of about 1.5 million tonnes of iron ore.

The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index fell for a sixth straight session on Friday, weighed down by weaker rates across vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax vessels, fell 109 points, or 5.8%, to 1,764, its lowest since early March 2021. The index has lost nearly 23% this week.The capesize index dropped 250 points, or 14.3%, to 1,496, its lowest since late Feb. 2021. The index is down 38% this week.Average daily earnings for capesizes…

Heavy rainfall in southeastern Brazil has prompted miners including Vale SA to suspend some operations, they said on Monday, after downpours caused deadly floods in the northeast and threatened to delay harvests in the midwest.Rainfall is expected to remain heavy this week in most of top mining state Minas Gerais, after runoff closed roads and railways.The rains may also have contributed to the dramatic collapse of a canyon rock face in the state on Saturday, killing 10 people visiting a waterfall on boats.In the northeastern state of Bahia…

Brazilian company Constructora Vale Verde has placed a repeat order for a cutter suction dredger, type CSD350, with Damen Shipyards. This dredger is a sister vessel to the Amsterdam, which was delivered in 2019. The first CSD350,  Amsterdam was delivered and transported just before the global outbreak of COVID-19. In a world where the pandemic had fortified frontiers and created nearly unsurpassable barriers, Damen continued with assisting the commissioning of the dredger when it arrived in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Gustavo Alcides Diaz, an Argentine fisherman and hunter from a river island community, is at home on the water. The Parana River once lapped the banks near his wooden stilt home that he could reach by boat. Fish gave him food and income. He purified river water to drink.Now the 40-year-old looks out on a trickle of muddy water.The Parana, South America's second-largest river behind only the Amazon, has retreated this year to its lowest level since its record low in 1944, hit by cyclical droughts and dwindling rainfall upriver in Brazil.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index dropped for the 13th consecutive session on Tuesday as waning demand across vessels and the coronavirus outbreak dampened sentiment.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels to ferry dry bulk commodities, fell 13 points, or 2.8%, to 453.The capesize index decreased 31 points to a negative 133, a fresh all-time low.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 170,000-180,000 tonne cargoes including iron ore and coal…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose on Friday, buoyed by an uptick in demand across all vessel segments, but still posted its third straight week of losses.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose 28 points, or 1.6%, to 1,748 points. The index on Thursday broke a 12-session losing streak, but posted a 2.2% weekly decline on Friday.The capesize index gained 41 points, or 1.3%, to 3,222 points. The index posted its third straight week of decline, down about 7.7%.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose on Friday, buoyed by an uptick in demand across all vessel segments, but still posted its third straight week of losses.* The Baltic index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose 28 points, or 1.6%, to 1,748 points.* The index on Thursday broke a 12-session losing streak, but posted a 2.2% weekly decline on Friday.* The capesize index gained 41 points, or 1.3%, to 3,222 points. The index posted its third straight week of decline, down about 7.7%.* Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 170,000 tonne-180,000 tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal…

As BBC Amethyst anchored in Porto do Açu, Brazil, she becomes the first vessel to make the big crossing from Antwerp to the Brazilian sea port."Quite an achievement for Port of Antwerp International and the local partners who invested in the Brazilian port, thereby promoting trade with Antwerp. Brazil, the biggest economy of Latin America and number 7 in the world, is a key trading partner for the Port of Antwerp," said a press release from the Europe’s second-largest seaport.A Siemens gas turbine, an essential component of the new thermoelectric power plant of GNA - Gás Natural Açu Ltda, which is a joint venture among Prumo (parent holding company Porto do Açu)…

Wärtsilä said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a new environmentally friendly tug design for a new port facility being built in the Brazilian city of São Mateus. The MoU, signed with Petrocity, parent company of a new port facility, will see Wärtsilä develop a harbor tug design based on its recently launched Wärtsilä HYTug, which features hybrid propulsion and energy storage using batteries. The prime consideration is to maximize the ecological operational…

After the successful participation in Intermodal South America in Sao Paulo (Brazil), the port of Antwerp in collaboration with the local industrial and agricultural federations organised a business seminar with networking in the nearby state of Minas Gerais. The event was attended by 50 or so prominent Brazilians including shippers, ship's agents and logistics service providers. It was also honoured by the presence of high representatives from both federations, the government of Minas Gerais and the Belgian diplomatic corps in Brazil. Minas Gerais is the second-largest industrial state and export region in Brazil, with a highly diversified economy. Leading exports include metal products, ores and minerals, coffee, meat, soya and to a certain extent also fruit.

An Australian port and a stake in the Empire State Building's operator were among assets acquired by sovereign investors such as wealth funds and state pension funds in the third quarter of 2016, with deals totalling $21.2 billion. The combined value of deals was up 38 percent from the previous quarter, helped by a handful of jumbo-sized transactions in the infrastructure, energy and real estate segments, although the number of direct investments fell to 35 from 43 in the second quarter, according to data from Thomson Reuters.

Brazil's Tiete-Parana waterway, a key transport corridor for soybeans, corn, cellulose, fertilizer and other agricultural products, has reopened after a 20-month closure due to drought and the use of water for electricity, the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reported late Tuesday. On Monday a barge train passed downstream on the Tiete River through the locks at the Nova Avanhandava hydrodam for the first time since 2014, the paper said. The barges will later head to Sao Simao in Brazil's central western state of Goias where they are expected to load soybeans, which will taken for export from the Port of Santos on the Atlantic coast near Sao Paulo.

A Brazilian federal court on Thursday ordered the suspension of activities at Vale SA's Port of Tubarão because of pollution concerns, halting the world's largest iron ore exporter's ability to ship more than a third of its output. The ruling by the court in Vitoria was made as part of a police investigation at the giant man-made port as Vale comes under increasing pressure over its environmental record in Brazil after a dam burst at a mine run by its Samarco joint venture in October, killing at least 17 people.

A judge in Brazil's state of Minas Gerais has frozen the Brazilian assets of mining giants BHP Billiton and Vale SA after determining their joint venture Samarco was unable to pay for damage caused by the bursting of a dam at its mine last month. In a ruling issued late on Friday, the judge ruled that Vale and BHP could be held responsible for the disaster at the iron ore mine in the state of Minas Gerais, for which the government is demanding 20 billion reais ($5 billion). Vale and BHP each told Reuters they had not yet been notified about the decision. The companies are able to appeal. The dam burst, which turned into Brazil's worst ever environmental disaster, killed 16 people, left hundreds homeless and polluted a river 800 km (500-miles) long that flows across two states.

Brazil's Vale SA said on Friday that it plans to sell its 11 remaining Valemax iron ore carriers and lease them back in transactions that could raise $1.1 billion. Vale has said it has experienced some delay in selling the ships, the key to its attempt to cut transportation costs between its Brazilian mines and Asian customers, as it seeks to get the best freight rates under contracts to lease the ships back from the new owners. Each more than 360-meter-long (1181-ft-long) ship can carry 380,000 to 400,000 tonnes of ore and are among the biggest vessels afloat. Vale has been selling its part of the world's 35-vessel Valemax fleet for about $110 million each, Luciano Siani, chief financial officer of Rio de Janeiro-based Vale told investors at a conference in London.

Vale and BHP Billiton announced today plans to work together, with Samarco, to establish a voluntary, non-profit fund to support the rescue and recuperation of the Rio Doce river system, affected by an accident at Samarco’s Fundão dam, in the state of Minas Gerais on 5 November 2015. The Fund would initially be sponsored by Vale and BHP Billiton. The aim is to seek additional financial support from other private, public and non-government organisations. The initial value is still being defined. The objective, however, is that these resources would support the rescue and recuperation effort of the river system for the longer term. It is proposed that the Fund would have a committee to guide investment and oversee budget approval.

From when the first warnings were heard, the Brazilian village of Bento Rodrigues had about 25 minutes to escape. The water from a broken dam holding waste water from the nearby Samarco mine in Minas Gerais state moved fast down the valley. A flood believed to be some 20 meters (65 feet) high swept through the village of 600, destroying homes and livelihoods within minutes. Apart from a few houses spared by being on higher ground, homes are little more than bare walls now. A thick sludge of water and iron ore tore off the roofs and settled over the village like hardening wax, leaving twisted cars perched awkwardly in its wake. Helicopters buzzed overhead, searching for the lost 24 hours after the deluge.

Brazil's MMX said late Wednesday it approved the lease and possible sale of its Corumba, high-grade iron ore unit, part of efforts to raise cash and restructure the troubled mining company controlled by Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista. The Rio de Janeiro-based company, formally known as MMX Mineracao e Metalicos SA, did not name the person or company that has agreed to lease the mining rights of its MMX Corumba unit in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state near the Bolivian border. The plan was approved by the MMX board, the company said in a securities filing. MMX shares rose 0.55 percent in late-morning trading in Sao Paulo Thursday, putting the stock on track for its biggest one-day gain in nearly two weeks.

Trading firm Trafigura and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala said on Thursday their Brazilian port for exporting iron ore will start this year, in response to a steelmaker with a contract to use the port that said the opening could be pushed back to 2015. Porto Sudeste "is on track to start operation in the beginning of the last quarter of 2014," Eugenio Mamede, chief operating officer for the port, said in a written response to Reuters. Trafigura owns a controlling stake in the port with Abu Dhabi government investment fund Mubadala Development Co. The export terminal located in Rio de Janeiro state will be able to handle 50 million tonnes of iron ore per year, and could expand to 100 million tonnes.

When Dachser, the German multinational corporation and international logistics operator, announced the opening of its newest office in Brazil at Rio de Janeiro in June, the company did so with great optimism about the future of its market. The Brazilian market is experiencing a time of significant visibility, which has been enhanced by the upcoming world sporting events to be held in the country--the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Collectively, the events have begun to lead to both investments, which may come to reach 30 billion dollars and business opportunities in different fields. The state of Rio de Janeiro, where the new Dachser branch is situated…

Brazilian steelmaker Usiminas intends to cancel its iron ore shipment contract with the Sudeste Port, a private terminal near Rio de Janeiro, the port said on Friday.   The statement did not say how much Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA, as the company is formally known, had agreed to export through the terminal nor did it give a reason for the desire to cancel the contract.   Usiminas declined to comment on the news.     (Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Diane Craft)

US-based material handling manufacturer UniCarriers Americas Corporation (UCA) informs that it continues to expand its South American operations by establishing its Brazilian business unit and appointing Newton Santos as sales operations manager. UCA explains that through its legacy brands (Nissan Forklift and TCM), it has had a presence in the Brazil market for more than a decade. In 2013, UCA hired Santos to research and advise on expansion within Brazil. In January 2014, the company formalized its commitment by establishing a legal entity to operate in Brazil. The company will first focus on its dealer network in São Paulo, and then grow its dealer partnerships in the Southeastern region of Brazil including Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.