In berth 202 at the Port of Paranaguá, the ship Lady Lilly carries out an unprecedented operation of loading sesame in sacks. The national product, which goes for export, is stowed directly in the five holds of the vessel. On average, each space will carry around 4,000 tons of seed, totaling a shipment of 20,000 tons destined for Guatemala. Until then, the seed was already exported by the Paraná terminal, but only in containers

The lack of containers around the world has made exporters and importers look for different solutions. The ship docked around noon this Wednesday (3). The forecast is for the operation to be completed next week. Those responsible for the cargo – both import and export – came to Paranaguá to closely monitor the operation.

The business director of Portos do Paraná, André Pioli, explains that the originality is precisely in this direct shipment from the ship’s hold, in a mode known as general cargo. “This demonstrates that the Port of Paranaguá is an efficient port for various types of cargo, which has the capacity to operate in import and export. With the shortage in the container market, general cargo ships are once again looking for Paranaguá as an efficient service option,” says Pioli.

“This sesame goes from Paranaguá to Guatemala where it will be manufactured and distributed around the world. In our conversation, they demonstrated that they were looking for, in Paraná, in addition to a transportation option, the installation of a unit to manufacture the product”, said the director.

Also according to Pioli, the municipality of Paranaguá, as it already offers the port area, would be a good option. “It would be close to the port, it would be easy to ship and distribute the manufactured cargo around the world”, he comments. “This visit by the cargo owners can bring many good things to our region”, he adds.

Suhel Turjman, from the Guatemalan company Semillas Universalles, confirms the possibility of the company installing a unit in Paraná to process the product and says that this could happen soon. “It’s a possibility, yes. We believe that Paraná is currently an excellent logistical option”, he said, highlighting the organization and efficiency of the port of Paranaguá.

MANUFACTURING – In the Central American country, sesame will be processed before being exported again. Until then, it will be 20 days of travel, if the navigation is through the Panama Canal.

As Turjman explains, the sesame shipped in the ports of Paraná will be destined for bakeries in countries like the United States and others in Europe, the Middle East and South America. “It will probably end up in your sandwich’s hamburger buns,” he says.

According to José Francisco Cordova, director of Sezam Zaad, from the same Guatemalan group (Unisource), the company has been operating in the sesame sector in Brazil for three years. “During this period, we only shipped cargo in containers through the ports of Santos and Paranaguá. Sesame is a 90% export product, used to make oil and other foods that we want to be made here so that we can directly export the final product,” he said.

GAINS – The Lady Lilly vessel is operated by the company Marcon Logística Portuária. According to commercial director Patrick Ferreira Tavares, this shipment of sesame marks the return of the product to the “loose cargo” modality (general cargo).

Shipment through the Port of Paranaguá, he explains, generates many gains for the region’s economy, with around 400 people per day in the cargo loading operation. There were two reasons why customers chose the Port of Paranaguá. “Because of the port’s condition to accommodate various types of cargo and open the doors to new businesses, and also because of the ease of space, the retro area, for this type of merchandise outside the port,” says Tavares.

Sesame, as a food item, cannot come into contact with chemicals. Furthermore, due to its volume, it occupies twice as much space as other bagged goods. “For a 20,000-ton ship it was necessary to have a back area of ​​40,000 tons. And this space today, in other Brazilian ports, is extremely disputed. In Paranaguá, there is this availability”, he added.

Source: Portos do Paraná