Porto Sudeste, a port located in Itaguaí (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), reached a logistics milestone on November 5, 2025, by handling VL Prime, a VLCC with capacity of about 2 million barrels (~320,000 tonnes), marking the largest vessel ever operated at the terminal. VL Prime arrived in ballast from Luoyang County, China, and was loaded with 1 million barrels of Mero crude via ship-to-ship (STS) transfer from M/T Eagle Campos, and then proceeded to Port of Santos for additional loading before topping up at Porto do Açu alongside another Suezmax tanker en route to Rotterdam.
Operating a VLCC reinforces the port’s capacity to handle large-scale crude shipments, reducing transport costs and improving logistical efficiency for Brazil’s pre-salt exports. STS operation and sequential port calls (Santos and Açu) highlight growing coordination between terminals and shipping operators to optimize export logistics to European markets.
Such large-scale operations demand strict adherence to safety and environmental protocols, as well as close coordination with maritime authorities and insurers. The milestone underscores Brazil’s expanding capability to accommodate VLCCs and enhance competitiveness in the global crude export chain.
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