Bruno Calfat Advogados represented a port company in a formal inquiry submitted to the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (ANTAQ).
The port company operates a port terminal located at the Port of Rio de Janeiro, specializing in the handling of steel products. Other port operators also operate terminals at the Port of Rio de Janeiro, but these are dedicated to container handling.
The inquiry sought clarification from ANTAQ regarding the possibility of container handling terminal operators operating steel products on specific vessels at Container Terminals I and II of the Port of Rio de Janeiro.
In its final decision, ANTAQ decided that other port operators may handle steel products provided they are linked to vessels performing container operations simultaneously — so-called mixed-use vessels. Likewise, the port company may handle containers provided they are associated with vessels simultaneously operating steel products.