SAINT JOHN — The Port of Saint John has been twinned with the Port of Santos, Brazil.

The Saint John Port Authority made the announcement during a recent trade mission aimed at promoting business between the Atlantic provinces and the South American country.

The twinning with the Port of Santos, which lies just west of Rio de Janairo on the South Atlantic, follows over two years of talks and travel to Brazil for Andrew Dixon, vice president of marketing and business development for the Port of Saint John in New Brunswick.

"This makes official our intention to work together to try to create services between the two ports," Dixon said in an interview with TT.com’s sister publication, Logistics Magazine.

Representatives from six different cargo handlers in Atlantic Canada also attended the trade mission to Brazil in April.
"We export potash from Saint John to six different ports in Brazil.

"We have an existing relationship and we want to capitalize on that and develop further trade with Brazil," said Dixon, who is also the chair for the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation based in Toronto.

Jenna Doucet, the director of marketing for Belledune Port Authority, in Chaleur Bay, N.B., said one of the biggest things she learned during the mission was the importance of forging a business relationship with Brazilian ports.

"They’re definitely a large player when it comes to cargo handling," she said. "(Brazil’s) port infrastructure is quite good and they’re spending a lot of money on projects in the coming years. They go through a large amount of cargo. It’s more than all the Atlantic Canadian ports combined." 

Although there’s plenty of logistical issues
to iron out, Brazil presents terrific
opportunities for Atlantic exporters and importers.

Dixon said Brazil shares a time zone with Atlantic Canada eight months out of the year, which makes it straightforward when trying to communicate.

"It’s much easier to do business and communicate than if you’re dealing with ports that run east-west," Dixon said. "From a development standpoint, that’s a pretty big advantage."

Another bonus, communicated to those attending the mission, was how much closer Atlantic Canada’s ports are to the Brazil than popular ports found in New York or Chicago.

"Nobody knew that the Ports of Brazil were closer (to us) than any American port," says Don Rowe, general manager of the Sydney Port Corporation in Nova Scotia. "The lack of congestion in those Canadian ports makes it worthwhile for Brazil and other South American countries to consider sending their exports directly to Canada instead of using the U.S. ports and then moving the product inland via rail or truck."

Inland infrastructure in Brazil was also one of the topics covered during the 10-day mission. Doucet was shocked to hear about the problem faced by the Brazilian rail transporters.

She says while rail is commonly used to move cargo across the country, the three different types of gauges used in their rail system creates a logistical nightmare for those who are moving cargo from one end of the country to the other.

"They have some challenges when it comes to getting cargo from any of the ports inland or to another spot," Doucet says. "They have to go through multiple railroads, then empty cargo from one car to the next."

Rowe admits this presents a challenge, but one Brazilian transporters are aware of and working towards fixing.

"They’re spending billions of dollars on new ports and rail roads," he says. "They’re developing the infrastructure down there and the transportation."

— By Farrah Cole