Dredging Increases Brazil’s Port of Vitória Access Channel

Dredging at the Brazilian Port of Vitória, in the city of same name in Espírito Santo state, increased the port’s access channel from 10.6 meters (34.7 feet) during high tides to 12.5 meters (41 feet), said port authority Companhia Docas do Espírito Santo (CODESA) in early August. The port’s access channel now has a depth of 14 meters (45.9 feet). The expanded access channel may now welcome vessels with a 70,000-ton capacity, up from the previous 30,000-ton cargo limit the port had. CODESA said the port expects to welcome larger vessels from mid August this year. CODESA said dredging started in 2012 and was delayed several times. The BRL 120 million ($30.9 million US) project was carried out by a Portuguese consortium, made up of Dratec, Etemar and Rohde Nielsen. The consortium dredged about 1.8 million cubic meters (2.4 million cubic yards) of sediments, CODESA said. The access channel has a 7.5-kilometer (12-mile) extension.