What is Stevedoring?
Learn about the profession that moves world trade
Definition and Importance
Stevedoring is the activity of loading and unloading ships, also known as port operations. Stevedores are professionals responsible for moving cargo at ports, ensuring the efficient flow of national and international trade.
This profession is fundamental to the Brazilian economy, since approximately 95% of the country's foreign trade passes through ports, and it is the stevedores who perform the physical movement of these goods.
Types of TPAs
Casual Port Workers
Lei 12.815/2013
Types of TPAs
Casual Port Workers
Professional responsible for loading and unloading ships, arranging and securing cargo. The worker who directly moves cargo in ship holds and decks.
Main Responsibilities:
- Movement of various cargo
- Arrangement and securing (lashing) of cargo
- Operation of cranes and other specific equipment
- Coordinated team work for efficient operations
- Safety and quality inspections in operations
Types of Cargo Handled
Rio Grande stevedores work with a wide variety of cargo, each with its specificities and handling techniques.
Big Bags
Big Bags are large sacks used for transporting bulk cargo, such as grains, fertilizers, and chemical products.
Special Cargo
Refrigerated, hazardous, fragile cargo, and other products requiring specialized handling.
General Cargo
Various goods such as machinery, parts, packaged goods, bags, bales, and manufactured products.
Live Cargo
Animal feed, hay, and live cattle for export, with special handling care.
Wood Chips
Wood chips used in paper and pulp manufacturing.
Cellulose
Cellulose in bales and rolls, an important export product from the South region.
Containers
Handling of 20 and 40-foot containers with various cargo, facilitating multimodal transport.
Agricultural Bulk
Cargo such as soybeans, corn, wheat, barley, among others loaded in bulk.
Chemical Bulk
Cargo such as ores, coal, fertilizers, among other bulk chemical products.
Plywood
Plywood cargo used in furniture manufacturing.
Sacks
Paper or plastic sacks used for packaging bulk products.
Bundled Logs
Bundled logs, important for the paper and pulp industry.
Loose Logs
Loose logs, stowed using machines for better utilization.
Light and Heavy Vehicles
Cars, trucks, agricultural machinery, and heavy equipment for export and import.
Steel Bars
Steel bars, quite dangerous cargo in their stowage.
Main Equipment Used
- Ship board cranes and gantry cranes
- Hydraulic excavators/backhoes
- Wheel loaders
- Forklifts
- Bobcats
- MAFIs
Did You Know?
The Port of Rio Grande handles more than 50 million tons of cargo annually, being one of the main ports in Brazil.
Stevedores work 6-hour shifts, ensuring continuous port operation 24 hours a day.
The stevedore profession has existed for more than 2,000 years, evolving with port technologies.
Rio Grande stevedores undergo regular training to operate increasingly modern equipment.