Ultracargo just carried out its first biodiesel operation involving the reception of biodiesel (B100) via waterway at its Vila do Conde Terminal at Barcarena in the state of Pará (PA). The initiative marks a strategic change to the logistic flow in the region, replacing road transport with a waterway modal, ensuring increased efficiency, cost reduction, and lower environmental impact.

The great economic differential of the new route is taking advantage of “backhaul freight.” Previously, the barge trains leaving Vila do Conde heading to Miritituba and Itaituba transporting diesel oil and gasoline used to return empty. Now, those lighters return loaded with biodiesel produced in Mato Grosso, where the costs of those products have more competitive prices.

In addition to the financial edge, migrating to the fluvial modal brings significant benefits for the company’s ESG agenda. Barge transport is considerably less pollutant than road transport: a single barge train has an equivalent capacity to about 100 large semi-trucks.

Operational efficiency is also a highlight. While unloading 100 road vehicles would take about 10 days at the terminal, the equivalent volume transported by a barge train can be processed in only two days, optimizing the port infrastructure turnover.

The expectance is that the new logistic flow reaches greater scale in the coming months, transforming Vila do Conde into a strategic hub for the distribution of biofuels in the North of the country.