Pecém Harbor: a solid growing project

Strategic location and modern and appropriate infrastructure may rise this port ofCeará to the status of load hub at national level, turning it in one of the more competitive harbors of the country

Works of the second expansion of the harbor are being carried out. They will attend mainly the demands of theCompanhiaSiderúrgica do Pecém (CSP), steel plant currently with 75 percent of works concluded, as informed the Secretary of Infrastructure from Ceará (Seinfra). Its operation is foreseen to start in the first half of this year.

Works in the harbor—carried out under responsibility of the State—include the extension of the breakwater, the construction of mooring berths and the installation of an ore conveyor and a new bridge for access to the breakwater.

Even before the end of works in the CSP, steel products (particularly steel plates and reels) are already the main general non-containerized load handled by the harbor terminal. Containerized load is composed mostly by frozen products (fruits and fishes) and industrialized goods.

In harbor handling, it is important to highlight a special load whose demand is increasing: the blades for wind power plants, which are being built in a large number in the state of Ceará. This is a load of difficult handling that is not translated in high tonnage.

The harbor isalso working hard in anchoring and servicing of supporting boats to the platforms that extract oil inthe continental platform.

Among the products that were pointed out in 2015—referring to exportation—are fruits (increase of 43 percent in comparison with 2014), mineral products such as salt, sulfur, lands, stones, plaster, etc. (55%); cast iron, iron and steel (320%); hides and skins (35%); and cotton (33%) .

Among importations, fuels and mineral oils, bituminous products, fertilizers and mineral waxes stand out.

Pecém Industrial Complex

A reduction of 15 percent in the load handling of Pecém Harbor—when compared to 2014—was noticed. But 2016 started with positive results. Only in January, asix percent increase in importations and exportations (compared to 2015) was observed. A total of more than 700 thousand tons was handled by the terminal.

This increase was caused by the importation of mineral coal (453,900 ton) and steel products (85,200 ton). Exportations increased 87 percent in the period, showing a total of 126,500 ton.The highlight was iron ore, with 40,200 ton.

And the expectation is that the performance of this year will be even better, sinceCSP willstart its production and will handle 3 million tons just of steel plates, as well as raw materials. In addition,Cearáportos, company supported by the State Government, is searching for partners and investors for the Industrial and Harbor Complexof Pecém(CIPP).Located in the retro-area of the harbor, this complex may be defined basically as follows:

• Total area: 33,500 ha;

• Area 1 will include the thermoelectric plant (PPGE) and the steel plant (CSP);

• Area 2 will include the refining plant and petrochemical plant/ product distribution center;

• Area 3 will include the petrochemical plant and the electric and metal center;

• Area 4 will include the institutional area, ZPE and thermoelectric plants;

• TIC will include the Intermodal Cargo Terminal and may include the tank yard that will be partially transferred from the harbor of Fortaleza to Pecém.