Brazil's VLI and partners launch R$130 million pig iron rail transport

en.Wedoany.com Reported - In August this year, Brazilian logistics company VLI, together with Vports and Multilift, launched pig iron rail transport, shipping pig iron from the production region of Minas Gerais to the port of Espírito Santo via the Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica. The three parties invested R$130 million in this rail-port intermodal corridor, and the cargo will be transferred to maritime export upon arrival at the port.

The pig iron will be transported on vessels with a capacity of up to 55,000 tons. The operation also plans to return approximately 30,000 tons of coke per month from the port to Minas Gerais, with coke being an input required for various applications in the civil construction industry. This two-way logistics arrangement aims to improve the utilization of rail resources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions per ton of cargo transported.

One advantage the new corridor offers customers is that the Vports terminal infrastructure has a deeper draft, allowing it to accommodate larger vessels, which facilitates economies of scale in the export phase.

Aroldo Cecílio, Commercial Director of VLI's Industrial and Minerals division, stated that the company is committed to supporting the production chains of steel industry clients with efficient logistics solutions. This operation combines Minas Gerais's rail tradition with Espírito Santo's port capabilities and is the result of collaboration among the parties involved.

VLI transports approximately 28 million tons of cargo annually through the company's Eastern Corridor, which connects the Triângulo Mineiro region of Minas Gerais to the Espírito Santo port system via the Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica.

This transport operation also represents further progress in VLI's operations under the Freight Rail Transport Agent (Agente de Transporte Ferroviario de Carga, ATF-C) model on the Vitória-Minas Railway (Ferrovia Vitória-Minas, EFVM). Under this model, the company carries cargo using its own assets, gaining greater operational autonomy in train scheduling and customer service. To this end, VLI announced investments of approximately R$600 million (equivalent to approximately US$116.4 million at the exchange rate of August 24, 2026) in locomotives, wagons, operational adjustments, and personnel recruitment in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.