Question

traffic jam due to rainfall Brazil description
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Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

Brazil – Heavy rainfall has led to port congestion and risk of delays

Due to the recent seasonal heavy rainfalls, a traffic jam started forming; leaving trucks loaded with soya beans stuck fast in the mud and unable to advance or return to point of origin. This has disrupted the supply chain to the ports and has led to congestion at ports exporting soya beans.

Answer 2

Explanation:

Due to the recent seasonal heavy rainfalls, a traffic jam started forming: leaving trucks loaded with soya beans stuck fast in the mud and unable to advance or return to point of origin. This has disrupted the supply chain to the ports and has led to congestion at ports exporting soya beans.

Conditions at the ports

The congestion currently affects the river port of Santarém and the ports of Vila do Conde, Baracarena and Belén. As a result, operators are now diverting vessels to ports in the south-eastern and southern regions which may lead to congestion at these ports in the next few

weeks.

The National Department of Transport Infrastructure reports that the traffic jam is now clearing and that trucks are being pulled through the mud with the help of bulldozers and tractors. The traffic is expected to resume providing weather conditions improve. However, further rains are forecast for the next weeks and the congestion is likely to last the entire Brazilian summer albeit to a much lesser extent, according to industry sources.

Recommendations

Gard's Members with vessels fixed to load soya beans at Brazilian ports are advised to take note of the above and to seek the most up to date information from their local ship's agent and to ensure that:

Vessels arriving at congested ports should

carefully plan the taking on board of provisions,

fresh water and fuel and be prepared either

to wait at anchor for prolonged periods or to

be diverted to other ports. Particular attention

must be paid to the need to renew the vessel's

documents, such as Ship Sanitation Certificate,

which are not obtainable at all port.

While there is, so far, no indication that the delays

has led to significant deterioration in the quality

of the soya beans, Masters and crews should

increase their vigilance during cargo operations

and visually monitor the condition of the cargo

being loaded.

Owners and operators concerned about the cargo condition, eg because of discoloured

beans or significant temperature variations

(say 5 to 10°C) and/or elevated temperatures

(which may be indicative of self-heating

already underway), should consider engaging

experienced surveyors to assist the Master with

cargo related matters.

As Brazil is currently in the rainy season, the crew

should increase the weather lookout and ensure

that loading equipment is removed from within

the cargo holds and hatch-covers closed in a

timely fashion to avoid cargo being affected by

sudden rainfalls, which are particular common at

ports in the Northern Arc.

If the Master is in any doubt about the condition

of a soya bean cargo at any point during

loading or during the voyage, or in the event of

com

at the discharge port, Gard should be

contacted immediately.

We also refer to our Gard Alert of 26 October 2016 addressing Heat damage in soya bean cargoes - the importance of inspections which

may be of interest.

We would like to thank Gard's correspondents, Proinde in Santos, Brazil for their assistance in the preparation of this Alert.