Ponta da Madeira is a Brazilian private

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

, a large

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

loading port in São Luís, in the Northern part of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and one of the few terminals in the country suited for the ultra large Valemax ships. In 2020, the port of Ponta da Madeira handled 190.1 million tons. It's the national champion in cargo handling. The Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal, owned by mining company

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municip ...

, sits next to the public Porto do Itaqui, in the state of

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

, in northern

. It was chosen as the terminus of the Estrada de Ferro Carajas, where trains unload

for shipping overseas, mainly to Europe and Eastern Asia. The terminal, abutting the Bay of São Marcos (St. Mark) has a natural

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

of 26 meters (86 feet) at low tide; 14 m (46') tides proved a significant problem due 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 A ship is a large vessel that travels the world's oceans and other navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, ...

up to 500 m long and 500,000 metric tons in dead weight. In recent years, Vale has announced its intention to build huge steelworks next to the terminal. In 2012, the train journey from the ore mine to the port was featured in an episode of Countdown to Collision, broadcast by

The Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It initi ...

. , the port is being expanded to handle large volumes of iron ore from the S11D mine near Carajas.

References

External links

Article about the terminal at CVRD site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terminal Maritimo de Ponta da Madeira Ports and harbours of Brazil Buildings and structures in Maranhão São Luís, Maranhão

See also

References

External links