A US$19 million cargo handling terminal in Itaituba city, in Para state, Brazil, is the latest port project to get the go-ahead, following the introduction of a new law authorising the construction of 11 new private port terminals in the north of the country.
The facility will handle around 3.5-4 million tonnes of grain per year from barges on the Tapajós and Amazonas waterways. Much of the grain will come from the mid-western state of Mato Grosso’s 47 million tonnes of grain annually, equivalent to some 30% of Brazil's production.
Local waterway transport firm Companhia Norte de Navegação e Portos (known as Cianport) will be the operator of the new terminal.
To compliment operations, Cianport is also planning to build a private-use terminal in Santana do Araguaia, Pará's southernmost city.
The proposed Itaituba city terminal is part of the federal government’s strategy of relieving freight traffic from ports in the south and southeast of the country and reducing export shipping costs.
