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NORSUL Promotes Systematization of Brazilian Coastal Trade

Companhia de Navegacao NORSUL, Rio de Janeiro, is promoting systemization of coastal trade along Brazilian coast through introduction of Articouple pusher-barge system in a large scale. For the moment, the project covers the following three services :

Route Caravelas (Bahia State) to Portocel (Espirito Santo State) Transport of pulp wood over 150 nautical miles' route. Annual transport : 3.4 million cub. M. Fleet : 2 Pushers Norsul Caravelas, 6,500 HP     Norsul Abrolhos, 6,500 HP   4 Barges 6,600 DWT Open deck-loading barge Route Belmonte (Bahia State) to Portocel (Espirito Santo State) Transport of pulp bales over 280 nautical miles' route, Annual transport : 1.15 million tones Fleet : 1 Pusher Norsulo Belmonte, 6,500 HP   3 Barges 7.300 DWT Covered deck-loading barge Route Vitoria (Espirito Santo State) to Sao Francisco do Sul (Santa Catarina State) Transport of hot-rolled steel coils from Vitoria and containers and cold-rolled steel coils, occasionally, from Sao Francisco do Sul, over 650 nautical miles' route. Annual transport : 1.15 million tones of steel coils. Fleet : 2 Pushers Norsul Vega,. 6,500 HP     Norsul Vitoria, 6,500 HP   4 Barges 10,000WT Covered deck-loading barge with overhead traveling crane.

The vessels belonging to each of these fleets are operated on a typical drop-and-swap system of 2P/4B type or 1P/3B type. All the 5 pusherboats are built to a same design and equipped with couplers of a same type, ARTICOUPLE KC-43SM of multi-step tooth-engagement type, so that three fleets may, as a whole, form a big combined fleet in which each pusher can be connected with any barge to keep a perfect free exchangeability. The above-mentioned three routes are partly superposed or not much distant from one another and, when a pusher is at rest for docking, for example, a pusher from another route can come as helping hand if so needed so that the whole system may realize a highest economical performance as well as a highest surety of service.

Each of three pushers for Belmonte-to-Portocel route and for Vitoria-to-Sao Francisco do Sul route, expected to be obliged to connect at wavy terminals, has an auxiliary coupler of friction-engagement type utilized for provisional connection for suppressing pusher's oscillation before proceeding to the main connection with the main coupler. The usefulness of the auxiliary coupler has been proven by its actual use in wavy waters.

The first two pushers of Caravelas route were built at EISA - Estaleiro Ilha S. A. and the remaining 3 pushers at Estaleiro Promar 1, and all the barges at EISA - Estaleiro Ilha S. A., all to designs of Projemar S. A., Rio de Janeiro. The whole fleet is expected to be completed and enter into full operation in January 2006.

Designer : Projemar S. A., Rio de Janeiro Phone : 55 21 2220-6818    E-mail : projemar@projemar.com