A Word from our CEO

Inaugurated on July 20, 1910, the Port of Rio de Janeiro is part of the history of the wonderful city and of our country, undergoing important transformations over time. Today, at 110 years of existence, it is preparing for the future with expansion projects and improvement actions in the modernization of the port infrastructure and sanitation actions, always aiming to adapt to new international standards and vessel sizes, in order to meet the demand for greater capacity to move goods and passengers, efficiently and effectively.

It is important, on this date, to remember its history.

Our port, thanks to the exceptional conditions of natural navigability in Guanabara Bay, has become the main trade gateway since its early days. It was due to this geographical configuration that Rio became the capital of the Viceroyalty in the mid-18th century, and of the Kingdom itself, with the arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family in the early 19th century.

Initially, in addition to serving as a place for embarking and disembarking passengers, the central part of the city, bordered by the Castle Hill (later demolished) and São Bento Hill, also received ships arriving with goods from the metropolis and other European markets. At the same time, from the islands at the bottom of the bay and from Minas Gerais, lime, wood, and foodstuffs were also arriving, all transported in small boats to the Prainha (now Praça Mauá) docks, which became the main landing place, also for sugar exports.

In the early nineteenth century, with the arrival of the Royal Family to Brazil and the Opening of the Ports to Friendly Nations, port activity reached its peak, but it was in the 1870s that the first projects for the development of a port complex in Rio de Janeiro emerged, which until then operated through scattered facilities, such as the docks of the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, São Cristóvão, Ilha dos Ferreiros and Praça Mauá, and the wharves Dom Pedro II, Saúde, Moinho Inglês and Gamboa.

In 1890, two decrees authorized the construction of docks, warehouses, and porches between Ilha das Cobras and Ponta do Caju. Later, in 1903, the federal government contracted improvements to the port for the construction of 3,500 meters of docks, and so the Gamboa Pier and seven warehouses were built, officially inaugurated in 1910.

At that time the first ship to dock in Rio de Janeiro had the English flag and was bringing goods from Lisbon. The administration of the Port was in charge of the "Compagnie du Port do Rio de Janeiro", which lasted until 1922.Later, between the years 1923 and 1933, our port was administered by the Brazilian Company of Port Exploration.

In 1936, the company was managed by the "Administração do Porto do Rio de Janeiro" subordinated to the National Department of Ports and Navigation, of the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works. In 1973, Decree No. 72.439 created the Companhia Docas da Guanabara, which from 1975 on was called Companhia Docas do Rio de Janeiro (CDRJ), as we know it today.

In 1990, with the extinction of Portobras and the Companhia Brasileira de Dragagem, CDRJ began to manage its ports directly, and with Law 8,630, the Port Modernization Law, the current business and exploration model was opened through leasing to the companies Triunfo Logística, Libra Terminais (currently ICTSI Rio), MultiRio, MultiCar, and Pier Mauá.

This changed the face of our port. In 2007, we were certified in the ISPS-Code, the International Ship Security Code for Port Facilities, implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to make port facilities safer. In 2009, the dredging works at the port were started at the same time that our city started the Porto Maravilha project, proposing to revitalize the port area.

Last year we had great achievements for the cargo handling of the port, such as the inauguration of the new Wheat Terminal of the Port of Rio de Janeiro (TTRJ) and the resumption of operations for the Manguinhos Refinery (currently REFIT). Besides this, the Port Guard gained a new structure, which raised the security levels of the port installations, with the inauguration of the modern Port Security Command and Control Center (CCCSP).

In this sense, it is worth remembering that CDRJ has been investing in Information Technology in order to provide digital transformation and raise the standard of efficiency of technical areas and this modernization is increasingly present, and on completing 110 years of existence, we have many recent achievements to celebrate, all considered essential to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the port.

Among these achievements are the inauguration of the Operational Control Center (CCO), an important structure for inspection and monitoring procedures, the qualification in the Reporto Program, which allows the purchase of imported equipment without federal taxes for the implementation of the Management System. Vessel Traffic (VMTIS), improvements in waterway access, with the new nautical signaling that will allow night navigation on the Cotunduba Channel, and in land access, with the computerization of access control for vehicles and people.

All these goals fulfilled are the result of uninterrupted work, which continues in full social distance, which was imposed on us by the pandemic. I understand that this was only possible because our professionals are capable and persistent, not letting themselves be discouraged, despite the adversity.

As it has been 110 years ago, the Port of Rio is undergoing a new process of modernization, going from precarious warehouses to a sophisticated port with high mechanized technology, large freighters and ocean liners, it is clear that much has already happened, but much is still to come.

The successful actions of the past and the current needs serve as an inspiration to make even more progress, keeping our port among the main ones in the country, extremely important for foreign trade and the development of Brazil and our city.

Congratulations to each CDRJ employee and to all employees of companies and consenting bodies that work within the port!

Congratulations Porto do Rio de Janeiro!

Francisco Antonio de Magalhães Laranjeira
Diretor-Presidente