The inauguration of Contesc (Santa Clara Terminal) marks three years since the reactivation of cargo transportation via the Jacuí River and celebrates an annual growth of over 100% in container movement through inland navigation. Since the start of operations, the terminal has handled more than 99,000 TEUs.

Contesc, a company of the Wilson Sons group, operates four weekly trips between the two terminals (Santa Clara Terminal and Tecon Rio Grande), carried out by two barges. The products—import, export, and cabotage—originate from or are destined for cities such as Farroupilha, Carlos Barbosa, Garibaldi, Caxias do Sul, Veranópolis, Cruz Alta, Lajeado, Taquari, Serafina Corrêa, among others. Customers also have the option to stuff and strip products at Contesc's warehouse, generating up to 20% savings in cargo transportation.

In 2018, river transport accounted for 8% of the containers handled by Tecon Rio Grande, including import, export, and cabotage flows. "This is a highly strategic business for the state. The success of the operation confirms the need for logistical alternatives for the market," emphasizes Paulo Bertinetti, CEO of Tecon Rio Grande.

Bertinetti recalls that Contesc recently conducted a study on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in inland navigation. The calculation shows that road transport, done by trucks, emits 74% more GHG compared to barges. The research measured the fuel consumed by each mode of transport to move the same amount of cargo over a 12-month period, across a distance of approximately 350 kilometers.

According to a recent report by Antaq on cargo transportation, the highlight of the first half of 2019 was inland navigation. The mode moved 33 million tons during the period, showing growth in total movement (+9.30%) as well as in solid bulk (+11.76%), liquid bulk (+5.23%), general cargo (+2.93%), and containers (+5.36%). Tecon Rio Grande is currently the terminal that moves the most containers by river in Brazil, according to a ranking by the same agency.