Port of Rio Grande, Brazil

ETA's: ETA should be advised to agent 24 hours in advance and confirmed 4 hour prior to arrival.
Documentation required: The following documents must be ready for visiting authorities on arrival at Brazilian ports, such documents varying in the number of copies required and the nature, depending on the type of vessel and the peculiarities of the port, should be ascertained by the Master, through the agent, prior to the vessel's arrival:

1.	Document	FRB	HA	MP	PC
	General Declaration	Y	Y	Y
2.	Crew List	Y	Y	Y	Y
3.	Crew Personal Effects List	Y
4.	Disembarking Passenger List	Y	Y
5.	Transit Passengers List	Y		Y
6.	Negative Passenger List	Y
7.	Passenger List				Y
8.	Stores List (by department)	Y
9.	Cargo Manifest	Y
10.	Maritime Health Declaration		Y
11.	Health certificate (from last port)		Y
12.	Maritime Police Pass			Y

FRB = Federal Revenue Bureau; HA = Health Authorities; MP = Maritime Police; PC = Port Captaincy.
The documents required by the Port Captaincy are on special forms: Crew List (form Fal 5) and Passenger List (form Fal 6).
Documents required on sailing: The following are required:

1.	Request for Clearance or Visa (original)
2.	Passenger List (form Fal 6)
3.	Embarkation Pass, issued by the Federal Internal Revenue Office (required from all vessels proceeding abroad)
4.	Departure (sailing) Pass issued by the Federal Police (required from all vessels proceeding abroad)
5.	General Declaration (form Fal 1)
6.	Copy of the payment form of the Federal Internal Revenue Tax Levy Document (DARF) of the Tariff for Utilising Lighthouses (TUF)
7.	Outgoing Pass.

Communications: National Coastal Radio Stations Network (RENEC):
The National Coastal Stations Network offers free communication facilities for messages concerning the safety of human life at sea such as: Distress calls, urgent medical advice, notices to mariners, meteorological messages, etc. The network comprises of 39 stations along the coast of Brazil and in the Amazon River, distributed as follows:

1.	One main station at Rio de Janeiro (PPR), with facilities available for communication via radio telegraphy (WT) and radio telephony (RT), with vessels sailing in almost every sea and ocean.
2.	Three regional stations located at Belem (PPL), Olinda (PPO) and Rio Grande (PPJ), able to communicate via WT and RT with vessels up to approx 600nm distant.
3.	Three local stations at Manaus (PPM), Santarem (PPT) and Itajai (PPC) responsible for communications via RT with vessels approx 200nm distant.
4.	Seven restricted local stations at Santos (PPS), Paranagua (PPG), Porto Alegre (PPP), Vitoria (PPV), Natal (PPN), Fortaleza (PPF) and Salvador (PPA) able to communicate via RT with vessels sailing in the immediate vicinity.
5.	The remaining 25 stations handle local RT communications.

VHF: Juncao Radio, callsign "PPJ" for relayed telephone calls.
There is no VHF communication with the authorities.
Pilot Station: VHF Ch 09, 16.
Health regulations: Free pratique: Vessels which are not proceeding from infected ports may be granted free pratique, by radio, which does not exempt the ship owner or his agent from the delivery, to the Port Health Authority, of the Advice of Arrival. A vessel with free pratique is permitted to proceed directly to berth.
A vessel coming from an infected port which has obtained free pratique at a Brazilian port, is exempted from further inspection for mosquitoes at other Brazilian ports of call, unless it has called en route to another infected port.
The free pratique does not exempt the vessel from being visited by the Port Health Authority when the latter considers this to be necessary, but such visits will always be carried out subsequent to berthing without jeopardising vessel operations.
When there is a sick passenger or crew member to be landed, the vessel must fly Interco flag "Q".
For granting free pratique the following documentation is required:

1.	Vessel details:
	a.	Name, class and flag.
	b.	Name of port and country (or Brazilian state) where voyage started and date of departure.
	c.	Port(s) of call, country(ies) (or Brazilian state(s)) with respective dates. Mention the last 5 ports.
2.	Sanitary conditions on board:
	a.	The occurrence of a death on board.
	b.	The occurrence of any sickness.
	c.	The occurrence of any sickness with one of the following symptoms: Fever (temperature over 37.5°C) during a period in excess of 48 hours accompanied by skin eruption, jaundice, or ganglia inflammation; acute moderate to serious diarrhoea.
	d.	The occurrence of great morality of rodents.
	e.	The occurrence of medicine consumption during the voyage, indicate the name and quantity supplied per person.
	f.	Amount of fresh water available on board. Indicate where the last supply of fresh water took place.
	g.	In case of a vessel in ballast, advise where the ballast water intake took place and the quantity.
3.	Operational conditions of the systems of dejection and used water:
	a.	Is there a possibility that faecal objects which had not been treated could be expelled in to the waters of the port.
	b.	Description of drainage system and sanitary treatment.
	c.	The cubic capacity of the dejecting/used water tank and its capacity in number of days of retention.
	d.	The stock of disinfectant material, if this is the case.
A Letter of Guarantee to comply with the following:
1.	Confirmation of exact time of arrival of the vessel, one hour ahead of arrival.
2.	Definition of vessel berthing position.
3.	Deballasting of dejection/used water tank 12nm from the coast and its immediate sealing.
4.	Not to jettison waste assembled on board during the vessel's stay in port.
5.	Absence of infestation by vermin (mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats) in vessel compartments.
6.	Absence of cargo accidents with risk to public health and the environment.
To present, on berthing, the following documents:
1.	Maritime Health Declaration
2.	Crew List
3.	Passenger List
4.	List of psychotropics and drugs
5.	List of cargo to be discharged and loaded
6.	List of yellow fever International Vaccination Certificates of crew members and passengers.
7.	Derat Certificate
8.	Free pratique document issued by sanitary authority in another Brazilian port.

Customs and immigration: Contraband: Brazilian laws are very strict with respect to smuggling and Masters are requested to instruct their crews not to take more than 2 packets of cigarettes and other articles ashore. Cigarettes in cartons, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, narcotics, souvenirs, explosives, firearms, etc should be collected prior to arrival in port and listed with the items in the Crew's Personal Effects List and placed in the custody of the Master.
Immigration: All a vessel's passengers and/or crew members may only enter the national territory after their documents have been inspected by the Federal Police Department, the Revenue Authorities and the Port Health Authorities.
Vessels owners are responsible for the disembarkation and the embarkation of transit passengers as well as crew members who fail to join a vessel before it sails. Such responsibility includes the maintenance and other expenses until repatriation. In the event of non existence of a compulsory deposit as guarantee to cover such expenses, owners will sign, at the Federal Police Department, a form of responsibility inherent to such obligations as therein expressed.
Flags: All vessels, while in Brazilian ports, must fly the Brazilian national flag from 0800hrs to sunset.

 

Port limits: Outer port limits are at No 1 Buoy (32°12.2'S  52°03.25'W).
Sea buoys, fairways and channels: The port is approached by a dredged and marked channel which leads across Barra do Rio Grande and then passes between two breakwaters which extend nearly 2nm seaward and protect the harbour entrance.
The port of Rio Grande is divided into Superporto situated on the W side of the channel between the entrance and Ponta da Mangueira, 6nm N of Porto Novo, which is formed by a channel, 1.25nm in length between the E end of the peninsula on which the Cidade do Rio Grande stands and a low sandy island which has been reclaimed from part of an extensive sandbank, from 0.1-0.3nm E and Porto Velho, which lies along the N side of the peninsula and is approached through Porto Novo.
The channel from the N end of Porto Novo to Porto Velho is marked by lighted beacons.
The depth of water in the main channel, from the bar to the Grain Terminal, is dredged to 15m. The channel to Porto Nouvo has a least charted depth of 8.2m with lesser depths close by; then continuing to Porto Velho where the depth is 5m.
Caution: The channel depths are subject to change due to silting; temporary notices in the fortnightly Brazilian Notices to Mariners should be consulted to obtain the latest information on these depths. The depths are also greatly affected by meteorological conditions.
Pilot: Pilotage is compulsory and should be requested by the ship's agent 12 hours and 4 hours in advance. Pilots board incoming vessels approx 1.25nm E of the entrance to the approach channels (32°12.2'S  052°01.75'W) from 12.8m launch painted red with a white "Pilot" on both sides and top, speed 25kts. During the night the pilot boat can show a long range white flashing light for identification purposes. Boarding speed required is between 8 and 10kts. When combination ladder used gangway should be not less than 6m from the water with ladder 2m from the water, on lee side.
Unless the weather is exceptionally bad, one of these launches lies inside the heads of the breakwaters awaiting a request for a pilot, which should be made by means of the International Code. When the state of the sea does not permit the launch to go alongside, the vessel should follow the launch, obeying the signal, made by International Code.
Vessels which have to await a pilot should anchor 1.25nm E of channel entrance at the pilot boarding position and should report their name, last port of call and time of anchoring.
Anchorages: The pilotage anchorage should also be used by vessels, over 200m in length, awaiting a berth and by vessels, less than 200m in length, awaiting authorisation to use the inner anchorages.
There are several designated anchorage and prohibited anchorage areas between Barra do Rio Grande and Porto Novo; ships should anchor only as directed by the Port Authorities.
Tidal range and flow: Range 0.2m (springs). Tidal streams in Barra do Rio Grande are much affected by the wind. During NE winds, the out going stream sometimes attains a rate of 5kn and the in going stream has a rate of 3kn.
After prolonged SE winds which raise the water levels in the lagoons, the outgoing stream is particularly strong.
Owing to these strong tidal streams a single screw vessel may sometimes find difficulty in making the sharp turns around the lightbuoys which mark the submerged extensions from the breakwaters.
Dock density: Caution: It should be noted that the water in the port may vary, in the course of a few hours, from completely fresh to nearly the density of seawater depending on the direction of the wind. It is practical to reckon safe draft for entry and loading as for fresh water.
Weather: Prevailing winds: NE'ly; SE'ly.
Charts: BA 3063, 2002, Admiralty Pilot NP5.
Tugs: Available. Vessels over 100m in length should always be accompanied by a tug when transiting the Porto Novo channel.

Names/Nos:
SUPER PORTO:

	Length (m)	Draft (m)	Use
	70	8.0	Fish
	300	12.2	Container
	220	12.2	Grain
	413	12.2	Wheat and soya
	130	11.0	Fertiliser
	228	10.1	Petroleum
	76	10.0	Petrochemical
PORTO NOVO:

 

	1,952	8.8
PORTO VELHO:
	640	4.6

Facilities: There is 1 x 100t heavy lift, 2 x 45t container cranes, 2 x Post Panamax, front loaders, reach stackers.
Storage:
TERMINAL BUNGLE ALIMENTOS:
Two bulk warehouses for grains, brans and vegetable oils for export. A total area of 42,000m², capacity of static storage of 157,000t. Five tanks total capacity of 42,000t.
TERMINAL BIANCHINI:
Three bulk warehouses of 600,000t for agricultural bulks. Eight tanks for storage of up to 50,000t of soy oil.
TERMINAL TERGRASA:
Two bulk warehouses of 37,000m² storage for 152,000t. Static storage for 130,000t.
TERMINAL MARITIMO LUIZ FOGLIATO:
Eight bulk warehouses, each with an area of 3,910m² and capacity of storage of 25,000t. Three tanks capacity of 10,400t for vegetable oil. Total capacity is 200,000t of agricultural bulks.
CENTRO RODOVIARIO:
The back port terminal is used for the storage of vehicles or parking of bulk trucks. Area of 10,000m² paved with asphalt.
TERMINAL TANAC:
Processing and storage of wood chips in bulk. Total area of 15ha, capacity of 210,000m³ storage.
TERMINAL COPESUL:
Static storage for liquid petrochemicals of 40,000m³ (10 tanks) and for petrol gas of 2,600m³.
TERMINAL PETROBRAS:
Five tanks for storage of by products of petroleum, with a capacity of static storage of 22,500m³, two tanks for storage of alcohol, with total capacity of 10,000m³. Two tanks for storage of benzene, capacity of 8,700m³.
TERMINAL TREVO OPERADORA PORTUARIA:
Three warehouses with storage area of 42,000m² and static capacity of 250,000t. Five tanks with capacity of storing 60,000t of chemicals.
TERMINAL AMONIASUL:
Tank with static storage of 15,000t for liquid ammonia.
GRANEL QUIMICA:
Storage of liquid bulk, chemical, petrochemicals and petroleum products with capacity storage of 29,600m³.
BUNGE FERTILIZANTES:
Six warehouses with total of 170,000m² storage of fertilisers. Five tanks for storage of sulphuric and phosphoric acid in a total capacity of 11,000t.
ROULLIER BRASIL:
Two warehouses total storage area of 112,000m², capacity of static storage of 62,000t. Seven tanks for storage of sulphuric and phosphoric acid, total capacity of 34,600t.
TERMINAL TECON RIO GRANDE:
Specialised for storage of containers, total area of 670,000m². Static capacity of 15,000teu.
TERMINAL RO-RO:
Two warehouses of 100 x 40 x 7m and 100 x 30 x 7.6m, capacity of 15,000-18,000t.
General cargo: Inner side, 23 warehouses with a total storage area of 56,800m². One on outer side with 2,400m² capacity. Three cold stores with a capacity of 185,000t. Grain silos, two with a capacity of 185,000t. Grain sheds: Eight with a capacity of 305,000t. Open storage area 48,000m². Storage tanks: Vegetable oil, up to 60,000t. Petroleum and by-products to 20,000t. Phosphoric acid, up to 50,000t. Sulphuric acid, up to 10,000t. Propene, up to 2,630m³. Benzene BTX, up to 8,720m³.
Ballast/slop reception: Available.