The Port of Tubarão is a port in Brazil, near the city of Vitória in Espírito Santo. The port was created in 1966 by the Brazilian mining company Vale to export iron ore extracted from the Iron Quadrangle in Minas Gerais. In 2007, the Port of Tubarão was the largest iron ore embarking port in the world, shipping around 80 million metric tons of ore a year. Lesser port trade includes grain and soybean meal. Vale is still the owner of the port. The port is among the fastest iron ore loading terminals in the world, with an average loading rate of 12,000 tonnes per hour and a nominal loading rate of 16,000 tonnes per hour.

History

The construction of the port of Tubarão was started in 1962 by (then a mixed capital company) - Vale do Rio Doce., The year of the signing of the first long-term contracts for the supply of iron ore to Japan and Germany, and its construction was paid for entirely with funds from the National Treasury. The port of Tubarão was a pioneering project - designed by Eliezer Batista (pt) - which helped create a new global logistics process in the transport of solid and liquid bulk. The participation of Japan in this enterprise was decisive and the construction of the port of Tubarão remains in the memories with sympathy of the Japanese until today:

Funding

In possession of the iron ore supply contracts, Eliezer turned to Ex-Im Bank, the development bank of the United States, for financing for the construction of the port of Tubarão. But he failed: he came back empty-handed. The American bank did not extend any credit to Brazil, neither to Vale, nor to Japanese steel companies. He explained his difficulties to the Minister of Finance at the time, during a hearing that has become historic:

Economic fundamentals

Tubarão became the bridge that linked Vale S.A. to the rest of the world and enabled the company to significantly increase overall Brazilian exports. Designed to accommodate ships of a size that was not yet manufactured, the port of Tubarão was a world pioneer in its category.

Collateral benefits

The inauguration of the port of Tubarão in 1966 and its pioneering technology aroused great enthusiasm among Japanese investors and did much to elevate the international concept of Brazil. Its construction immediately attracted a veritable "flood" of new foreign investments to Brazil, such as Celulose Nipo Brasileira SA- Cenibra, Companhia Siderúrgica de Tubarão, Albrás - Alunorte (alumina and aluminum), Mineração da Serra Geral (iron ore) and Nova Era Silicon (ferrosilicon alloys, etc.) and the first major overseas project CSI (California Steel Industries / Joint Venture from Vale with Kawasaki), which somehow helped absolve the finance minister of the 'time, San Tiago Dantas, of the "sin" of having authorized the printing of money for its creation.

Present

In 2016, the port was responsible for 13% of Espírito Santo's GDP. The increase in economic activity in the state can also be explained, because after the construction of the port and the complex, it influenced the arrival of companies such as Aracruz Celulose (now Suzano Papel e Celulose) and Companhia Siderúrgica de Tubarão (now ArcelorMittal). The Vitória Industrial Center (CIVIT), in Serra, also took place after 1966. The Tubarão complex includes eight pelletizing factories, port operations for the shipment of iron ore, pellets, agricultural products. and the unloading of coal. At least 60 types of products pass through the site, including iron ore, steel, soybeans, coal and limestone along 905 kilometers of railroad, which accounts for around 40% of the rail freight of the country.

Transport

Road access is via the BR-101, the railroad, through the Vitória-Minas Railway - EFVMe or the maritime through the access channel to the terminal, in the open sea, in the city of Vitória - ES.