Brazil’s Piaui Loads First Iron Ore Ship After 50-Year Port Wait

On June 30, Porto Piaui loaded its first ship. The terminal is at Luis Correia, on Brazil's northeastern coast.

The cargo was iron ore. Lion Mining of Piripiri, Piaui produced it for delivery to China. The port's navigation channel is still being dredged, so the cargo moved in two stages: a smaller feeder ship took the load at the dock and met a larger ship at sea to transfer it. More than 110,000 tonnes made that trip.

Lion Mining produces about 1.5 million tonnes per year at iron grades near 65 percent. This was its first direct shipment out of Piaui state.

The terminal at Luis Correia is a project 50 years in the making. Governor Rafael Fonteles was on site June 19 and said loading was days away. The state government has described the port as key to Piaui's economic future.

To follow the vessel activity associated with port operations, read our guides to monitoring traffic around busy ports, tracking port arrivals and departures, and understanding ship-traffic congestion.