Manaus: Deepsea Inland Port

Cummins Vessel Reference #636

Arguably the world’s greatest river system, the Amazon is navigable to large ships from the sea to Manaus. This is a distance of nearly 1000 miles, a similar distance to that from the Gulf of Mexico to Saint Louis on the Mississippi, but on that great American River deep-sea navigation ends at Baton Rouge, only about 250 miles up river. Due to ocean currents, the Amazon does not form a delta as do rivers like the Nile and Mississippi. As a result, silting in the main river channel is minimal and dredging is not required.

At Manaus the Rio Negro river joins the Rio Solimões to form the Amazon. Above Manaus the Solimões, which is also known as the main stem of the Amazon, the river continues navigable for another 1200 miles. Ships with drafts of about 18 feet can use this upper section as far as Iquitos Peru for most of the year.

The two existing container terminals, Chibatão and Super Terminals, located next to each other on the Rio Negro, currently handle about 350,000 TEU per year. Plans are in the offing for dramatic increases in the Port’s capacity. With river heights ranging up and down by about 14-meters over the year all terminals are floating and connected to the land by huge ramps. On August 22, 2011 there were four ocean going ships in port with one at anchor in the river and three working cargo at the two floating container ports.

The 186-meter Hong Kong registered container ship MSC Tuscany was alongside at the Chibatão pier with three of the port’s six 45-ton container cranes working her cargo. A number of the port’s 80 tractors were kept busy running up the bridge to the dry land storage. This was a slow day as the 431-meters of pier can simultaneously handle up to four ships with draft between 12 and 20 meters.

To assist ships with docking and un-docking Porto Chibatão maintains a pair of Cummins-powered 3200 HP tugs. Built at the ERIN Shipyard in Manaus in 2009 and 2010, the Z-drive tugs are each powered by a pair of Cummins KTA50-M engines producing 1600 HP at 1800 RPM.

In addition to the container pier, Porto Chibatão operates a ro-ro facility for barges. This services their fleet of more than 20 pushboats with one, two or three Cummins KTA19-M3 engines each. In recognition of the long standing relation with Cummins, Powertech Comercial, the Amazonas Cummins dealer, maintains a service center at the port.

For further information on Cummins Marine in Brazil:

Waldemar Marchetti
Marine Business Manager
South America and Mexico
São Paulo, Brazil
Phone: 5511 2186 4778
E-mail: waldemar.m.sobrinho@cummins.com

For Cummins Marine in Manaus:

João M. N. Mendonça
Marine Business Manager
Powertech Comercial Ltda.
Av. Efigênio Sales, 1717-P.10
Manaus, Amazonas
69.060-020, Brazil
Phone: 55 92 2121 8000 | 8007
E-mail: mendonca@powertech-am.com.br