Brazil News

Meatpacker JBS Flags Export Logistics Issues Amid Coronavirus

Brazil's JBS SA, the world's largest meatpacker, has identified potential logistics issues amid the coronavirus crisis including container shortages and port disruptions, according to executives discussing earnings results on Thursday.JBS executives said in a call on fourth-quarter earnings results that its export operations had not been hit by any disruptions, such as those that have affected frozen container cargos arriving in China in recent weeks. They said the company is banking on its long-term relationships with shipping providers to keep exports flowing.

Australia Orders Two Cruise Ships to Leave ... Now!

Australia ordered two cruise ships to leave its waters on Thursday, after a liner that docked in Sydney Harbor last week became the primary source of infection in the country's coronavirus outbreak.Although well below levels elsewhere in the world, the pace of Australia's infections is starting to pick up speed, reaching nearly 2,800 cases and 13 deaths.The government of West Australia state said nobody would be permitted to disembark from the German-operated MV Artania after seven of 800 foreign passengers on board tested positive for the virus…

Dock Workers at Brazil's Santos Port Call off Strike Vote

A union representing the on-demand dock workers has called off a vote that had been scheduled for Monday on whether to hold a strike at Latin America's largest port over concerns about risks from the coronavirus outbreak.In a statement on Sunday, the union - which said it represents about 5,000 people - said the cancellation of the vote was due to a request from government officials.

Shipping Not Immune to a Pandemic -BIMCO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a pandemic. There is little doubt that this will have significant implications for the shipping industry. But to what extent? BIMCO expects that the strict containment measures imposed by governments around the world will result in substantially lower global economic growth and consequentially, lower demand for shipping. Container and dry bulk shipping are at the front line when it comes to feeling the fallout…

Santos Port Operating Normally Amid Coronavirus

Latin America's largest port in Santos in Brazil will maintain regular operations, port operators said after meeting with dock workers and authorities on Wednesday to discuss measures to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.In a statement sent to Reuters, Regis Prunzel, president of operators group Sopesp, said a crisis committee was created with representatives from all stakeholders at the port, where most of Brazil's coffee, sugar, soybeans, corn and cotton are exported to the world.One of the measures agreed on Wednesday will reduce large group gatherings on port premises…

Brazil Isolates Cruise Ship After Suspected Coronavirus Case

A cruise ship with 609 people on board has been isolated in Brazil's northeastern port of Recife since Thursday morning after a passenger showed symptoms similar to those of the new coronavirus, according to the Department of Health in Pernambuco state.A 78-year-old Canadian man with fever, coughing and breathing difficulties was sent to a private hospital in the state capital Recife after disembarking.The remaining 318 passengers and 291 crew members will be kept in isolation…

Rumo Says No Impact from Coronavirus on Soy Freight

An executive at Brazil's largest railway operator Rumo said soy crushing in China is returning to normal levels after an extended halt, a good sign for logistics operators involved in moving the oilseeds from Brazil's fields to the world's top importing country.Speaking at an event on Monday, Rumo's Chief Executive João Alberto Abreu said ship line-up data for soy vessels at Brazil's biggest port of Santos is robust, adding the company has not yet seen any fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak on freight activity.

Trump: No Promises Regarding Steel, Aluminum Tariffs on Brazil

President Donald Trump praised the United States' relationship with Brazil under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday, but declined to say whether he would impose steel and aluminum tariffs on the South American country.Ahead of a dinner between the two men at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump was asked if he would continue to hold off placing new tariffs on Brazilian steel and aluminum. Trump responded that the United States had helped Brazil, but said he…

COVID-19 Could Impact Indian Shipping

India’s shipping and ports industry is likely to be negatively impacted by the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) across China and South-East Asia, according to credit rating agency ICRA.China has been a major driver of global shipping trade in tanker, dry bulk and container segments. The tanker rates had witnessed a spike in Q4 CY2019 due to several factors, including supply correction arising from sanctions on a major Chinese company and Iranian vessels, prospects of US-China…

US Trade Deficit Narrows for First Time in Six Years

The U.S. trade deficit fell for the first time in six years in 2019 as the White House’s trade war with China curbed the import bill, keeping the economy on a moderate growth path despite a slowdown in consumer spending and weak business investment.The report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday also showed the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda decreased the flow of goods last year, with exports posting their first decline since 2016. President Donald Trump, who has dubbed himself “the tariff man…

Capesize Index Turns Negative for the First Time Ever

Capesize index plummets to -133, the first time ever in negative territory – is it all up from here?The Baltic Exchange Capesize Index (BCI) dropped to -133 index points on February 4, 2020, turning negative for the first time ever on January 31, 2020. The composite BDI index (BDI), which has excluded the more stable handysize segment since March 2018, also dropped on February 4, 2020 to settle at 453 index points.The BCI has been on a freefall through the entirety of December, but the descent started to pick up more steam during the past couple of weeks.

KN to Operate LNG Terminal in Brazil

Lithuanian company AB Klaipedos Nafta (KN) has been appointed as the operator of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Brazilian Port of Açu.To execute the contract, KN has established a company in Brazil and plans to form a team of up to 30 local specialists in 2020.KN, KN Açu Serviços de Terminal de GNL Ltda. (Brazilian SPV) and Gas Natural Açu (GNA), which is a joint venture among Prumo Logistica, BP and Siemens, signed an operation and maintenance services agreement for the provision of the relevant services.Following the signing of the agreement…

US Raises Tariffs on Derivative Steel, Aluminum from Some Countries

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation increasing tariffs on derivative steel products by an additional 25 percent and boosting duties on derivative aluminum products by an additional 10 percent.Trump said Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea are exempt from the additional tariffs on derivative steel products, and Argentina, Australia, Canada and Mexico are exempt from the added duties on derivative aluminum articles.Trump has imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to help boost U.S.

Hamburg Süd’s Chief Commercial Officer to retire

German container shipping company Hamburg Süd said its Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Frank Smet will retire at the end of March after roughly 27 years with the company.Smet, who has been working in the shipping industry for over 40 years – including in Brazil, Chile, Australia and Hong Kong – has been a member of Hamburg Süd’s Management Board since 2012. He was initially responsible for Network, Operations and Logistics before assuming responsibility for Sales and Customer Service in 2017.In the future, Hamburg Süd CEO Dr. Arnt Vespermann will also be responsible for the customer relations.

Brasco, APM Terminal Pact for Offshore Support

Brasco, a part of the Brazil's provider of integrated port and maritime logistics and supply chain solutions Wilson Sons Group company, has partnered with APM Terminals Pecém to set up a temporary logistics base at the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex.It will be the first offshore port support operation to take place in Ceará, said a press note from APM Terminals, an international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.Scheduled to start in the first half of 2020…

SAAM Acquires Intertug

Chilean logistics company SAAM has struck a deal to buy Intertug Investment Holding, a towage services company with operations in Colombia, Mexico and Honduras.SAAM will spend $54.5 million for 70% of Intertug, based on an enterprise value of $98 million, and carry out the acquisition through a capital increase and a share purchase, it said in a stock market exchange announcement.Intertug's 25-vessel fleet logs more than 18,000 maneuvers a year, generating around US$44 million in towage service revenue annually.The partnership with Intertug allows us to enter Colombia…

Rio Tinto's Full-year Iron Ore Shipments Drop

Rio Tinto on Friday posted a 3% drop in iron ore shipments in 2019 as the Anglo-Australian miner's operations faced disruptions due to cyclone and a fire at a port facility.Iron ore shipped from Australia's Pilbara region in 2019 was 327.4 million tonnes, the company said, well within its forecast of 320 million tonnes to 330 million tonnes.The company said it made up for the disruptions in the first half by way of higher iron ore production and shipments than a year earlier.

Hapag-Lloyd Opens Center in Mauritius

German international shipping and container transportation company Hapag-Lloyd AG has opened a new Quality Service Center (QSC) in Mauritius. The QSC will explicitly serve Africa, one of Hapag-Lloyd's fastest growing markets.Quality Service Centers are an important cornerstone of Hapag-Lloyd´s Strategy 2023. They gather selected functions from different Areas under one roof, enabling synergies and delivering on the Quality Promises towards the customers.Hapag-Lloyd has already established several QSCs around the world - in Atlanta (USA)…

SAAM Towage to Enter El Salvador Market

Latest move to Enter El Salvador with Energía del Pacífico will Reinforce SAAM Towage's Presence in Central America.The Managing Director of SAAM Towage, Felipe Rioja, celebrated the company’s upcoming launch in the new market: El Salvador. “We will provide services for the Energía del Pacífico (EDP) project at the Port of Acajutla, which reinforces our presence in Central America and our commitment to the region,” he commented.The long-term agreement with EDP calls for allocating three tugs, two of which are new, to power plant operations.

Baltic Index Continues to Sink

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index slid for a 12th straight session on Thursday, hitting a six-month low, as reduced seasonal demand dragged down vessel rates across segments.* The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, dropped 70 points, or 5.7%, to 1,151 — its lowest level since June 19.* The capesize index declined 127 points, or 6%, to 1,976 — the lowest in over six months.* Average daily earnings for capesizes…

Commodities 2020? Reading the Trump, China Tea Leaves

As 2020 approaches, the year ends with the tantalising prospect of a trade deal between the United States and China. Again.Initial agreement to de-escalate the tariff war between the world's two biggest economies has been interpreted as a positive for the global economic outlook. But it's worth remembering that 2018 ended on a similar note - leaving the commodities outlook once again hostage to the whims of Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.In November last year, the U.S. President and his Chinese counterpart also reached a trade agreement of sorts at the G20 summit in Argentina.

WiseTech Global Acquires Ready Korea

Global logistics software group, WiseTech Global has announced the acquisition of Ready Korea, a customs, bonded warehouse and trade compliance solutions provider in South Korea.Headquartered in Seoul, Ready Korea offers a cross-border compliance solution, which facilitates the lodgement of electronic transactions to the Korean Customs Service, including customs brokerage and refunds and Free Trade Agreement verification, along with bonded warehouse management.Ready Korea also…

AET Wins $245Mln Charter Deal with Shell

Petroleum and chemical tanker owner AET Tanker Holdings has been awarded three long-term time charter contracts by Brazil Shipping I Limited, a Shell group entity.The subsidiary of Malaysia’s maritime solutions and services provider MISC Berhad said in a press release that Under the terms of the deal it will own and operate the related newbuilding Suezmax Class Dynamic Positioning (DP) shuttle tankers for operations in international and Brazilian waters.The estimated contract…

BIMCO: No Change in US Imports of Steel Goods From Brazil

0.0%, no change in US imports of steel goods from Brazil despite quotaIn the first ten months of the year, the US imported 3.9 million tonnes of steel goods from Brazil, the same as was imported in the first ten months of 2017, despite the US putting in place quotas which was supposed to lower imports from the country.Brazil is the largest seaborne exporter of the tariffed steel goods to the USA, twice as large as South Korea, in second place.Brazil approaching its annual quotaIn May 2018…

Petronas in Game for a Third FLNG Unit

Malaysian oil and gas company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) would build a third floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG)unit if there’s a demand.Petronas is the only company to own and operate two FLNGs, namely PFLNG Satu and PFLNG Dua.Bernama reported, quoting the gas and new energy business executive vice-president and chief executive officer Adnan Zainal Abidin, that if there is a reservoir with a sizeable amount of reserves and with the right gas composition that it is economically viable…

Training for L. American Maritime Leaders

A regional workshop organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO) has provided senior maritime administration officials in Latin America with the latest information on current and future developments at the Organization.The workshop for the regional maritime authorities networks, ROCRAM and ROCRAM-CA was held at IMO Headquarters in London (26 November) in the margin of the 31st IMO Assembly.The 28 participants received detailed information about the activities within…