Sao Francisco do Sul (Brazil)

Sao Francisco do Sul is a port city and municipality in Brazil's Santa Catarina state, with population around 55,000. The town is located on Ilha de Sao Francisco Island's northern tip. As cruise port, Sao Francisco do Sul is visited by smaller-sized/expedition-type ships and megayachts from luxury travel brands like RSSC-Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania, Happag-Lloyd, Nicko/Mystic Cruises USA.

Sao Francisco Island covers an area of 327 km2/126 mi2, ranking it Santa Catarina state's second-largest island - after Ilha Santa Catarina (total area ~424 km2/164 mi2) on which is Florianopolis (state's capital city, approx 190 km/120 mi to the south via highway BR-101). Ilha Sao Francisco is bordered by Baia da Babitonga/Bay (north and west), Canal do Linguado/Channel (south) and the Atlantic Ocean (east).

The area was known to the Europeans since the ealry-116th-century, being visited during expeditions by the French (1504) and the Spaniards (1553). The settlement (as Vila de Nossa Senhora da Graca) was founded on Rio Sao Francisco/River in 1640 by Gabriel de Lara (Spanish explorer) who also founded Paranagua and Curitiba (both in Brazil's Parana state). The town was officially founded in 1658 by Manuel Lourenco de Andrade (Portuguese explorer).

The current city's economy is largely based on the Port's shipping activities. Other major industries include tourism, steel manufacturing (ArcelorMittal SA/2006-founded) and petroleum (Petrobras/Petroleo Brasileiro SA/1953-founded).

Relatively recently, the city started to develop a successful tourism industry, becoming increasingly popular as a beach vacation destination, and mainly among South American tourists. The island has 13 beaches, the largest and most popular being Itaguacu, Ubatuba, Enseada, Molhe, Saudade, Forte, Grande, Ervino.

The 2005-crated Parque Estadual do Acarai is a State Park sized ~66,7 km2/25,7 mi2 (6667 hectares/16470 acres) established to protect the Atlantic Forest's coastal ecosystems. Acarai Park also includes the Tamboretes archipelago. Baia da Babitonga itself houses 26 islands.

Port Sao Francisco do Sul

Porto de Sao Francisco do Sul (port locode BRSFS) is an important cargo port with capacity to handle large bulk carriers and container ships (by major shipping companies) serving the routes that connect South America with Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Central and North America. The Port's export includes wood, metal coils, and agricultural production (~10% of Brazil's soy and corn exports).

In 2010, the Port handled a total of 726 ship calls and 9,618 million tons of cargo. The average monthly shipping traffic is 45 vessels.

The Port's access channel has length 9,3 km/5,6 mi, width 150 m/490 ft and max draft 13 m/43 ft. There are five official anchorage areas in the turning basin available for maneuvering and mooring, with water depths between 10-19 m (33-62 ft).

The Port currently has 5 docks/berths, but only one dock (berth 101/length 220 m/722 ft) has access channel's draft (13 m) which makes it the only one capable to accommodate the largest ships. The drafts of the other docks vary between 7-11 m (23-36 ft). Berth 102 has length 210 m, Berth 103 is 110 m, Berth 201 is 150 m, Berth 301 is 225 m.

The Port has four covered warehouses (combined capacity 76,5 m3, plus solid bulk warehouses (owned by Companhia Integrada de Desenvolvimento Agricola/Integrated Agricultural Development Company) with capacity 120,000 tons and a tank for vegetable oil (capacity 9000 m3).

TEU-containers are stored on an open-air yard (sized 50000 m2/~538200 ft2), with a separate area (​4000 m2/43050 ft2) reserved for reefers/refrigerated containers. The reefer facility is fitted with 360 electrical outlets.