Porto do Itaqui 3.47

Port of Itaqui is the largest cargo port in Brazil, near the city of São Luís, Maranhão. It is not to be confused with the city of Itaqui, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, near the border with Argentina. The main cargoes include aluminum ingots and bars, pig iron, general, dry and liquid bulk cargoes, soybean and copper. The hinterland of the Port of Itaqui encompasses the states of Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, southwestern Pará, northern Goiás, northeastern Mato Grosso, and western Bahia.HistoryIn 1939 studies developed by Departamento Nacional de Portos, Rios e Canais – DNPRC in the Ministério da Aviação e Obras Públicas pointed the Itaqui Region as a good place for a new port in Maranhão due to its sheltering waters and excellent water depth near the coast. However, the port building started only in 1966. In July 1974 the new port facilities started working under the management of the Companhia Docas do Maranhão – Codomar . In 2000, management of the Port of Itaqui was passed to the Maranhão state government. The Empresa Maranhense de Administração Portuária – EMAP, a privately held public company, was established to manage and exploit São José de Ribamar wharf, the ferry-boat terminals of Ponta da Espera and Cujupe, besides the Port of Itaqui.LocationThe port of Itaqui can be reached by highway, railway, plane, river and of course by sea .