Recently, import and export operations across the country have faced a wide range of logistical challenges.
Difficulties such as getting bookings , entering CNTRs at port terminals, returning empty containers to depots , omissions, delays, transfers and among them the recent logistical chaos at Guarulhos airport that became national news.
Interseas has sought to guide and inform its clients, also counting on market experts to understand and direct its actions.
With this in mind, today we bring you an interview with one of our partners, Evandro Ardigó, Operational Director at ES Logistics, an international logistics specialist with over 25 years of experience in the segment, to share with us this moment that we are experiencing.
Below is the content of our exclusive interview on the subject. Logistics scenario
Evandro Ardigó holds a Bachelor’s degree mobile database in Business Administration and International Trade from Univali. He is a managing partner at ES Logistics, a logistics solutions provider that currently has 16 offices throughout the country, with over 300 employees, and is certified by AEO and ISO 9001.
Not only that, ES Logistics is the 2nd largest maritime transport intermediary in Brazil in exports, having moved 35,701 TEUs in the period from January to September 2024. In the same period, it moved 32,888 TEUs in imports, being the 7th largest in the ranking. This does not consider air, road and rail cargo. (Source: Datamar )
We have noticed that in recent months there has been no predictability in maritime transport. We have observed ships that would come directly to Brazil making unscheduled stops, ships that rarely arrive within the agreed transit time, ships that skip ports, and so on. Could you comment a little on some of the factors that led us to this situation?
ARDIGÓ: Speaking of the world, the crisis in the Red Sea has caused congestion in ports around the world, in addition to a lack of ships and containers. This has created a snowball of problems in global logistics.
Speaking of Brazil, this year we have seen a 20% increase in container movement compared to last year. The average growth in recent years was 5%.
Furthermore, the ports’ handling how to choose a payment capacity has decreased compared to last year due to the renovation of the Port of Navegantes and an accident that occurred at the Port of Santos. And everything is interconnected, causing problems with a cascading effect. In other words, demand has increased and supply has fallen.
What about air freight? We have noticed that in addition to the backlog of cargo in Guarulhos, there is a difficulty in obtaining air freight rates until the end of the year, early January. Could you comment a little on this difficulty, and if there is anything that importers can do to ship their urgent cargo?
ARDIGÓ: Last year, there was already a backlog in Guarulhos. During this year, during each holiday, Guarulhos airport has already had operational difficulties. With the difficulty in maritime transportation, many cargoes were transferred to air transportation, increasing demand. The operator of Guarulhos airport is having difficulty in dealing with the demand. To ship urgent cargo, the solution is to pay priority rates.
Is there an expectation of an increase in (exceptional) cargo flights to meet end-of-year demand?
ARDIGÓ: There is none, mainly because most airlines that bring cargo have passengers as their priority. Customers usually do not want to pay extra to board barbados businesses organization cargo planes. So, it does not make sense for airlines to make long-term commitments to lease aircraft for a short-term need in Brazil. The ideal would be for the market to favor cargo flights all year round and not just in times of desperation.
Do you realize that other countries are also facing logistical difficulties? We know that there is no crystal ball, but what improvements can we expect for next year? Logistics scenario
ARDIGÓ: Brazilian exporters are losing customers because other countries that compete with Brazil are not experiencing as many problems. Brazil needs to take short, medium and long-term action.
Some short-term actions include, for example, dredging access channels that are compatible with ships operating in Brazil. Most ships cannot use their full capacity due to lack of draft. Other ships cannot operate in some ports due to their size. There are 11 ships operating off the Brazilian coast that cannot enter the Itajaí-Navegantes port complex. These ships are 366 meters long, and the maximum length allowed is 350 meters in that port. The expansion project for the bay was expected to have capacity for 400-meter ships. However, the project was not completed due to lack of funds.