Wilson Sons, the largest integrated port-shipping logistics operator in Brazil, acted as agents for the M/V Affinity Diva, arriving from China in January. The vessel broke the record as the largest fertilizer vessel in the history of Brazil, in this industry, and in the Port of Santos, Latin America’s leading port complex.
M/V “Affinity Diva” is 229 meters long and 36 meters wide. It left the port of Huanghua, China, in mid-October 2022. Chartered by Allied Harvest, represented by AgriLaf in Brazil, it carried 85.200 tons of ammonium sulfate, an agricultural fertilizer. China is Brazil’s second largest partner in the supply of fertilizers. Eighty percent of the ammonium sulfate used in Brazil comes from China.
In this period, and even before the ship arrived at Santos Roads, Wilson Sons, operator of the largest independent shipping agency in Brazil, with activities in the busiest Brazilian ports, used its expertise to handle the M/V “Affinity Diva”.
“We provided all the necessary support to ensure a smooth, successful and safe operation of M/V “Affinity Diva”. One of the duties of our shipping agency is to report on the shipping route and operation by email and on our online tool WS Connect, where our clients can see the real-time status of the vessels, in addition to other information on the operation and market reports, either on a desktop or on a mobile version,” said commercial agency specialist at Wilson Sons Tássia Lima.
The specialist explains that the company works throughout the chain, serving external and internal clients, charterers, shipbuilders, shipowners, the port authorities, handling all the documentation required, crew change, and arranges supplies, such as water and fuel.
With new operations focusing on fertilizer ships, the shipping agency cements Wilson Sons’ status with major traders and charterers through its 19 own branches, run by experienced and knowledgeable teams engaged with the rules of each port.
“Our commercial relationship with Wilson Sons, a praised and admired company, is robust and highly respectful: it is by establishing solid partnerships that we all grow. Allied Harvest started operating in Brazil in 2018, with AgriLaf as its exclusive agent. As a young company in a market as traditional and competitive as Brazil, we are very proud to reach this record with the operation of M/V “Affinity Diva” in Santos. This tells us that we are on the right path in a country where agribusiness is one of the main generators of wealth, with an impressive growth over the past decades,” said Giovani Almeida, director of AgriLaf.
For 2023, Giovani expects “a little more consistency in international demand and prices,” if nothing new or unexpected occurs. He says that farmers are doing detailed calculations before buying, and the challenge is “to study more and understand the behaviors of each crop, such as soybeans, corn, rice, sugarcane and cotton” in order to “ better play our role in the export of the raw materials supplied by the importers/mixers that we serve.”
The shipping agency services offered by Wilson Sons include sales services for shipowners, shipping documentation, logistic management of equipment, liner and tramp vessel scheduling, and preparing shipping and demurrage documents. To make operations more efficient and support exports and imports, the company has exclusive representatives in Europe and its own office in China.
Source: Wilson Sons
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