Libra plans breaking 2008 cargo record this year
Valor Econômico
The Libra group, specialized in the operation of terminals and logistics services, plans ending the year with a record net income of R$ 900 million (US$ 529.4 million), an increase of 14% compared to the result of 2009 and 6% compared to the previous year. That is the estimate of the President of the holding company, Marcelo Araújo. The operation of terminals is responsible for nearly 80% of the earnings of the company, and Santos is responsible for most of it, nearly 60%. The company also has operations in Rio de Janeiro and it plans to expand is businesses to Santa Catarina. It is estimated that the branch of port operation of Libra ends the current year with nearly 1 million Teus (20-foot equivalent unit) handled, better than the best year of history, 2008, when 905 thousand Teus were handled. In 2009, because of the crisis, the performance stayed at 730 thousand TEUs. "Brazil is growing 7% a year. Five or six years we didn't estimate such cargo demand", said Araujo on the perspective of results. "But it is necessary that all vectors (of access to the port) grow as well", said the executive, referring to the improvement of the highways, railways and use of the waterway system for handling containers.
Since it began its activities in Santos, Libra invested R$ 640 million (US$ 376.5 million) in the port operation - there is also the concession of T-33, T-34 and T-35 - and handled 7.6 million TEUs. But to stand up to the projected volume, it wants more. It intends to unify the terminals, currently separated by walls and small areas, and continue investing in modern equipment to gain scale in the operation. As Valor had already said in advance, the project is named Libra-Santos and it is budgeted at R$ 550 million (US$ 323.5 million) - R$ 250 million (US$ 147.1 million) only in equipment that will be able to operate the new classes of ships planned to dock in Brazil, with more than 7 thousand TEUs of capacity. Two new portainers (equipment that makes the handling between the pier and vessel) have already arrived. According to Araújo, for the investment in the Libra-Santos there is funding already structured and, probably, the company will also receive resources of the BNDES (National Development Bank).
With the investment, the handling capacity of the company in Santos will double to 2 million TEUs a year. The future configuration of the facility will have a total area of 240 square meters (compared to the current 170 thousand square meters), a continuous ward with 1,400 meters of length (compared to the current 1,140 meters) and mooring berths with 17 meters of depth. Currently, the maximum depth is 13.3 meters. "We are achieving the ceiling. The improvement works are very important", says the CEO of Libra Terminais, Gustavo Pecly.