Terminal Marítimo de Ponta da Madeira

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2006)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal, owned by mining company CVRD, sits next to the public port of Itaqui, in the state of Maranhão, in northern Brazil. It was chosen as the terminus of the Estrada de Ferro Carajas, where trains unload iron ore for shipping overseas, mainly to Europe and Eastern Asia. The terminal, abutting the Bay of Sao Marcos (St. Mark) has a natural draft of 26 meters (86 feet) at low tide; 14m (46') tides proved a significant problem thanks to the strong currents generated, but those were circumvented through the placement of underwater concrete "breakers."

The terminal and Itaqui port are still primarily iron ports, but have increasingly also turned to other cargoes, especially bulk agricultural goods. The smallish container patio is dwarfed by the piles and holding areas of the iron wharves, capable of handling ships up to 500m long and 500,000 metric tons in dead weight.

In recent years, CVRD has announced its intention to build huge steelworks next to the terminal; this has been the subject of much criticism for its environmental effects, particularly upon the nearby state capital, São Luís, whose colonial nucleus is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.