Paranaguá Connects Moegão System to a Private Terminal for the First Time

The Port of Paranaguá completed the first connection of its Moegão system to a private terminal. ALTP's terminal, a consortium formed by Louis Dreyfus Company and Amaggi and operator of PAR 25, was the first to connect to the complex on the morning of Sunday, October 11. The operation required the closure of Avenida Portuaria and the involvement of dozens of professionals.

To install the metal structure, 55 meters long and weighing approximately 35 tons, a crane with a lifting capacity of up to 600 tons at a maximum height of 48 meters was used. The maneuver took around two hours, while the fastening work required another four hours. The structure was connected to the central gallery of the Moegão, which spans 1.7 kilometers and features more than 4,000 meters of conveyor belts responsible for moving products unloaded from railcars to the terminals.

Luiz Fernando Garcia, CEO of Portos do Paraná, noted that the Moegão, together with the new T-shaped pier and the increase in operational draft, will boost the port's competitiveness by enabling it to handle larger vessels. Days before the connection, the Governor of Paraná, Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior, had highlighted that the project will double rail cargo throughput and aims to consolidate Paraná as a logistics hub for South America.

Once operational, the Moegão will enable the rail movement of up to 24 million tons of grains and meals per year, compared to current capacity of just over 5 million tons, representing a 63% improvement in operational efficiency. The complex has three independent rail tracks capable of receiving up to 180 railcars simultaneously, with a capacity to unload 900 railcars every 24 hours, compared to roughly 550 per day at present.

Currently, rail reception of grains and meals is not centralized, and trains must maneuver to reach each terminal, which can disrupt traffic in the port area for more than 40 minutes. With the centralization of operations, the number of level crossings will be reduced from 16 to five, and disruptions will be limited to the train's passing time, estimated at an average of 10 to 15 minutes.

The Moegão is considered the largest public port project underway in Brazil, with an estimated cost of more than R$650 million according to Portos do Paraná, although other sources from the same agency and from Portal Portuario place the investment at around 700 million reais. By October 2027, the 11 terminals of the Eastern Export Corridor must integrate their facilities into the system, which as of early October had reached 96% construction progress, funded with Portos do Paraná's own resources and financing from BNDES.