Brazil estimates Natal port expansion to cost $250 million

The expansion would see Porto Potengi could reach 110 hectares and have the capacity to store 130,000 to 200,000 containers per year.

The study assessed the possibility of the port being built on the left bank of the Potengi River. The Potengi port could have the capacity to handle 7.5 million tonnes of ore per year, focusing on fruits, mining, industrial products, and fish. The wheat part would be allocated to the existing structure of the Port of Natal.

The study focused only on Potengi Port, despite previous studies showing the need for an entirely new infrastructure attached to it to make Potengi function effectively. The study commissioned by CNT is for the Porto to be built by 2029, with the first three years for the preparation of the EIA-RIMA and the subsequent years for the issuance of environmental licenses.

“Intermodality is essential, and CNT defends this. The Porto needs to be modernised because cabotage transport, international transport, is undergoing significant changes. The current port has several limitations, and if a new terminal is not built, we risk losing the cargo that comes here. The ships that arrive today will not arrive here in 10 or 20 years. We sponsored the study and we understand that this is one of the possibilities to transport the production of Rio Grande do Norte and the region,” said Vander Costa, President of CNT.

The President-Director of the Company of the Ports of Rio Grande do Norte (Codern), Nino Ubarana, participated in a meeting October 25, at the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPOR) to discuss technical matters related to the Company and the Port of Natal.

During the meeting, it was informed that the hydrographic study of the entire channel and evolution basin of the Port of Natal will be completed by November 15th. The last dredging was carried out in 2012, and it is currently necessary to deepen it to 12 metres in depth, allowing new port operations. This study is the first step to begin the dredging project.

“A port that invests in increasing the draught and expanding its navigation area can attract new customers and handle more cargo, gaining product variety. It is also a sign of modernity to meet market expectations. A reliable access channel increases competitiveness,” stated the President-Director of CODERN.

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