New grain and wood chip terminal for Montevideo

In Uruguay, Obrinel has begun construction of a new grain and wood chip plant at the port of Montevideo. The work is costing $100 million and will allow up to 210,000 tonnes of grain and 7,000 tonnes of wood chip to be stored at any one time. Currently, the port lacks a truck loading and unloading area close to stockpile zone.

In 2015, up to 1,000,000 tonnes of grain is expected to be stored at the port, a figure which is expected to do double by 2020. The new terminal is slated to commence operation in April 2015, just in time for the grain harvest.

It is viewed as being complementary to an existing facility at nearby Nueva Palmira port, although the 12-metre draught is 20% better, allowing fully laden vessels to sail from the port. There will be a quay dedicated to barge traffic, which will allow grain to be moved from the north to deep sea facilities on the coast. A minimum of 20 deep sea vessels is expected to use the terminal each year, although this could eventually rise to 50 vessels.