This month, Brazil’s leader in port and maritime logistics Wilson Sons has completed the first year of operation of the tugboat “WS Centaurus”, a pioneer in Brazil in the use of more sustainable technologies. Over 500 manoeuvres have been carried out by “WS Centaurus” in assisting berthing and unberthing operations at the Ponta da Madeira, Itaqui and Alumar terminal facilities in São Luís (state of Maranhão), attending large vessels transporting up to 400,000 tons of cargo
In Ponta da Madeira, “WS Centaurus” manoeuvres ships carrying iron ore. In the port of Itaqui, the tug attends different types of vessels with different types of cargo such as diesel, corn, soy, fertilisers and wood pulp.
Besides, the tug is the first in Brazil to follow the International Maritime Organization TIER III standard, which promotes reduced nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 75%, and helps improve air quality in the ports. This standard is required in some regions of North America and Europe. “‘WS Centaurus" is a milestone in Brazil's towing operations. The tugboat, along with "WS Orion", launched in October last year, has been helping to add efficiency and sustainability to the company's fleet of 11 tugboats operating in São Luís. The demand for powerful tugboats has been growing in ports throughout Brazil due to the large ships berthing at these terminals, such as Ponta da Madeira, to handle iron ore, and 360-metre LOA container vessels operating in Brazilian waters,” says Márcio Castro, executive director of Towage Operations at Wilson Sons.
With more than 90 tons of bollard pull, Wilson Sons new 25-metre long, 13-metre wide tugs have fire-fighting certification (Fi-Fi 1), and are the most powerful tugboats operating in Brazil. It operates fore and aft with the same efficiency, and can be used in both port manoeuvres as well as in deep-sea towage.
The company has its own Tugboat Operation Centre (COR) in Santos (São Paulo), which provides real-time monitoring of the 81 tugboats along the Brazilian coast, establishing the best time to put the tugs in motion at an optimal speed to ensure greater diesel oil consumption efficiency and, consequently, reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Wilson Sons is a pioneer in speed control to reduce fuel consumption.
The company estimates that the operation centre promotes a 5% drop in fuel consumption and, consequently, in gas emissions. The COR centre monitors operations for greater navigational safety, avoiding areas with shallow depth or obstacles, thus ensuring higher vessel availability.
"The objective of our sustainability strategies is to enhance our ESG agenda. We see technology as a supporter of port and maritime infrastructure and industry sustainability by delivering improved operations, greater energy efficiency and higher productivity levels. Our ambition is to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations and value chains, boost innovation, invest in strategies, and unlock solutions to support the climate agenda, considering energy efficiency," says Sustainability Director Monica Jaén.
Wilson Sons Northern regional manager Mateus Melo believes that “WS Centaurus” and “WS Orion” demonstrate the importance of the company's operations in the North of Brazil, especially those involving Vale vessels in Ponta da Madeira.
“Due to our strategic position and performance in the region, with a fleet of tugboats planned to keep up with the development of the ports in Arco Norte, we have served Vale for over 35 years, in efficient and safe operations in Ponta da Madeira. As ships grew larger, we have delivered safer and more powerful tugs to keep up. Today, Wilson Sons is the company with the greatest availability of tugboats and the widest range of services in the ports of Arco Norte,” Mateus explains.
