President of the Port of São Francisco do Sul, Paulo César Côrtes Corsi, assured PortFolk that dredging to deepen the Santa Catarina port will begin in March. Considered vital to the port complex located 188 km from the capital Florianopolis, dredging will allow the free passage of vessels larger than the current, thereby increasing the volume of cargo moved in the port. "The works will begin in March and have a maximum of 18 months duration”.

According to a spokesperson for the Port of São Francisco do Sul, the access channel to the pier is currently 12 feet deep, while the maneuvering and berthing basin ranges from 8 to 12 meters. With the dredging, both the access channel and the maneuvering and docking lanes will be 14 meters deep throughout. For this, 4.3 million cubic meters of sediment will be dredged, according to the contract signed by the Special Secretariat of Ports (SEP), at a cost of R$ 104.5 million.

The two companies responsible for the work are Somar Engenharia and Boskalis do Brasil. Hoping for this year 2010, President Paulo César highlights that dredging can be positive for the port which in 2009 handled 7.5 million tons of cargo and received 843 ships. "Besides the new depth, the access channel will increase from the current 100 meters to 160 meters wide. Without doubt, the port will gain in competitiveness, since it will be one of the deepest in the South and Southeast regions, being able to receive latest generation ships."

If in the first months of 2010 all eyes are on the depth dredging, for the rest of the year another work on the agenda of Sao Francisco do Sul deserves priority: adjustment of pier 201, which will increase the berth’s occupancy level from 30% to 80%, relieving the saturation of other berths and allowing the docking of larger vessels. "Another work of the directory is to encourage the arrival of passenger ships, maritime cruises. It’s society that benefits from this. Tourism brings a good economic rebound."