BRAZIL: Loading picks up as weather dries out
Published: 08/30/2010, 9:19:50 AM
Sugar loading at Brazil's two main ports will accelerate because of dry weather, further easing a backlog of more than 100 ships waiting to pick up the sweetener, according to Bloomberg.
"Dry weather will allow those ships to dock and leave faster, " said Celso Oliveira, a meteorologist for Somar Meteorologia.
Weather will be mostly dry the next two weeks at Santos and Paranagua ports, Brazil's largest, Oliveira said. The number of ships waiting to load at the seven main ports fell to 112 Friday from 114 a week ago, Santos Associados Consultoria Ltda. and shipping agency Unimar Agenciamentos Maritimos Ltda said.
Low inventories at food companies and rains that disrupted loading in July and August prompted a record backlog of 135 ships Aug. 10. A year ago, the backlog was about 60 ships.