Port of Belém

In 2011, 134 ships operated in the Port of Belém; 53% of them were containerships with an average length of 170m and a draft of 7m; passenger ships accounted for 10% of the total, with an average length of 120m and an average draft of 5m, from where 500 tourists disembark per trip; the rest were cargo ships (19%) and bulk carriers (18%). The port exported 919 million dollars and imported 206 million.

History

In the centuries before the Port of Belém was built, the city exploited maritime navigation through natural harbors and quays. In the 18th century, there was already a growing demand for the establishment of a port, given the city's commercial activities. In 1848, the construction of a pier was completed and over the next few decades, maritime exploration improved. In 1840, 78 vessels with 11,252 cargoes were registered in the port area; in 1880, this number increased to 292 vessels and 258,115 cargoes. In 1897, engineer Domingos Sérgio de Sabóia e Silva presented a project for a port, in which he proposed that it should be extended beyond the existing quay up to 4,300 meters, and that the Ver-o-Peso, Reduto and Souza Franco docks should be landfilled due to the unhealthy conditions. After some modifications, the federal government accepted the proposal and, between 1903 and 1905, approved laws providing funds and authorization for construction. In 1906, President Afonso Pena signed Decree No. 6.283, granting the North American businessman Percival Farquhar the operation of the port, through his company Port of Pará, which won the public tender.

The contractual clauses required Farquhar to build the port in two sections: the first, from Forte do Castelo to the tip of Mosqueiro, in Marajó Bay; and the second, from there to the mouth of the Oriboca River with the Guamá River. The project for the port organization was drawn up by the company S. Pearson & Sons, which had been responsible for building the ports of Liverpool and London. Dredging of the anchorage began on November 16, 1907. The requisite works were completed, such as the long and deep dock, as well as the construction of coal and explosives depots, lighting and railway lines. However, the Ver-o-Peso Dock was not landfilled due to the popular demonstrations and its importance for local commerce. The depth of the canal was also not increased.

During the construction process, most of the unskilled workforce was composed of local citizens; the specialized ones came from London, Paris and New York, including the engineers Antonio Lavandeyra, H.C. Ripley and L. Corthell. On October 2, 1909, the first section of the Port of Belém was inaugurated, measuring 120 meters, comprising a warehouse and the dredged channel, and beginning commercial exploitation. In the following years, the other parts of the project were delivered and, in 1913, the port reached 1,860 meters. Eleven electric cranes were installed, electric lighting was provided (with 2,200 bulbs) and 6.5 kilometers of railway track were delivered.

In 1915, the Port of Pará company faced financial difficulties and was intervened by a commission in the context of a legal dispute in the United States. The end of the rubber cycle led to the Port of Belém being unable to use its full estimated load, remaining underutilized for a long time. After selling its shares on the stock exchange, Farquhar, which once controlled the transportation system in Amazon and central-southern Brazil, went bankrupt. In 1921, the Port of Pará suspended payment of the guarantees and the federal government was no longer able to provide an effective solution.

In 1940, the federal government took over management of the port through Decree-Law No. 2,142. Two autonomous administrations were created: the Amazon Navigation Service (SNAPP) and the Pará Port Administration. SNAPP was abolished in 1967, giving way to Empresa de Navegação da Amazônia S.A. (Enasa) and Companhia Docas do Pará (CDP), both mixed-capital companies. In the following decades, growing demand required the construction of terminals, which complemented the Port of Belém. The Miramar Flammables Terminal was the first, being an extension of the port and serving mainly for the transit of fuel oil. In 1985, the Vila do Conde Terminal was inaugurated in the municipality of Barbacena. Since 1970, containerized cargo and dry bulk have predominated.