As of May, Aliança Navegação e Logística will operate a new cabotage service especially developed for the project cargo sector.The company has chartered a multi-purpose vessel “Aliança Energia” to carry heavy lift cargoes. The vessel will have a 100% Brazilian crew and fly the Brazilian flag.

The company’s primary purpose is to develop a port-to-port cabotage transport service for project cargoes that is reliable. Initially it will serve the entire Brazilian coast, particularly the North and Northeast regions. Later, the service may extend to Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile – countries with which Brazil maintains bilateral agreements.

Considering the long distances between the industries and final destinations, limited and deficient highway infrastructure, lack of adequate transport, extended travel time, lack of storage spaces, risk of damage, high insurance costs, cabotage performed with a specialized vessel comes up as an efficient alternative when compared to other modes of transport.

By utilizing cabotage, depending on the cargo, lead time can be significantly reduced in comparison to land transport. For some heavy lifts, for example, transit time could drop from 50 days to a maximum of 6 days, from Santos to Fortaleza. The maritime mode is responsive and fast and the vessel’s excellent crane capacity makes the service less dependent on shore cranes and port infrastructure.