Wilson Sons, a leader in port and maritime logistics in Brazil, reported that, in the first seven months of the year, its Shipping Agency posted a 60% increase in services to ships carrying oil and petroleum products, against the same period last year. Over 180 vessels were attended.
The tankers imported fuel, exported crude oil and gasoline, and carried diesel and gasoline along the Brazilian coast. Ship-to-ship cargo transfer operations were conducted for the import of refined products and export of crude oil.
As new players have stepped into the oil and petroleum products industry in recent years, Wilson Sons has boosted investments in the Shipping Agency's Market Intelligence and information and data qualification, in addition to investing in technology with the creation of WS Connect, an online customer portal. "Our growth in the segment is a reflection of the group's strength, its financial soundness, and the operational expertise of its teams of specialists," says Flávia Carvalho, executive director of Wilson Sons' Shipping Agency, who adds: "As Brazil’s leading independent shipping agency, we are present in virtually all Brazilian ports that operate oil and petroleum products, with proprietary offices, and exclusive representatives in Europe and an office in China to serve our clients."
The ports served include the Port of Açu, in São João da Barra (RJ), the ports of Bahia (Salvador, Aratu and Madre de Deus Terminal — Temadre) and Itaqui, in São Luís (MA). In terms of size, the largest ships served operate at the T-Oil terminal, in Açu, and have China as one of their main destinations. These are the VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers), with lengths of 200 to 330 metres and widths of over 50 metres.
Wilson Sons' performance has been above the market standards. From January to July, the industry presented moderate growth in the number of calls involving these ships — around 2% — driven by diesel imports and, more recently, by the increase in gasoline exports.
However, Brazilian demand for fuel will continue to rise throughout the year, according to Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE). In 2024, the estimated growth is 1.3%, or 2 billion litres, after three consecutive years growing more than 4% per year, which represents an average annual increase of 6.4 billion litres, between 2021 and 2023. In the long term, imports are expected to rise until 2028, then a decline in 2030, and a new rise in demand in 2034.
Company structures operations of new market players
Focusing on this potential for growth in demand, leveraging its operational expertise, Wilson Sons’ Shipping Agency has supported multiple clients in the oil and petroleum products industry to structure new operations in various ports. Support includes liaising with port authorities, documentation and, in association with other suppliers, in the planning of operations. A customer experience team has been built in order to monitor the entire operation, from ship naming to final costing, to ensure the quality and standardization of port services. Also, the company holds client-oriented workshops to share, for example, details about the different types of ports.
“Our structure, with 20 offices on the Brazilian coast, market intelligence materials with qualified data, such as vessel lineup and customized reports, as well as port handbooks, are our distinctive features. We also provide WS Connect, which allows our clients to track ship operations even via mobile. Users have real-time access to ship information, documents, photos and videos, in addition to dashboards with market data and analyses, and more,” says Carolina Andrade, commercial specialist at the Shipping Agency.
Simon Leon, shipping executive at Ream, a subsidiary of the Atem Group, comments on the specialized customer service and the alliance with Wilson Sons. “The Atem Group has always received excellent service from Wilson Sons’ agency team on commercial, operational and documentary affairs. We greatly cherish our years-long collaboration and we hope to continue this joint work,” he says.
