Wilson Sons certifies an unprecedented reduction of up to 55% in greenhouse gas emissions from Santa Clara Container Terminal cargo operations

Since the start of operations at Santa Clara container terminal in Rio Grande do Sul, over
32,000 tons of carbon have been cut down with inland navigation

With permanent focus on sustainable operations, Wilson Sons, which is among the
leading port and maritime logistics operator in Brazil, produced an unprecedented
result for Brazil’s logistics industry at Santa Clara Container Terminal, in Rio Grande
do Sul. It has developed a calculation methodology based on the Brazilian
Greenhouse Gas Program, validated by SGS, a world leader in inspection,
verification, testing and certification. Using this methodology, Wilson Sons calculated
greenhouse gases from cargo handled at Santa Clara waterway terminal, located in
Triunfo, and concluded that 55% less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are
produced on the waterway compared to road transportation.

This reduction confirms a continual concern about introducing Environmental, Social
and Governance actions across its value chain in order to support the shipping
industry.

The study compared river and road transport on the route between Santa Clara and
Rio Grande Container Terminals, and found that, by transporting containers on the
road, carbon dioxide equivalent emissions may reach 0.196 tons of CO2e per TEU
(twenty-foot equivalent units), which is twice as much as emissions from river
transport. The calculation is based on a barge with 90% occupancy, which is the
actual average terminal occupancy rate.

Since 2009, Wilson Sons has prioritized the UN Global Compact ten sustainable
development goals and has been working on a range of initiatives to decarbonize the
port and maritime logistics industry. “The study findings are a milestone in the history
of cargo transportation in Brazil, as they portray the efforts that have been made to
reduce emissions, promote multimodality and help the terminal meet its clients’
sustainability goals, since they benefit from carrying out their logistics operations via
waterways,” says Cleiton Lages, Environment and Safety Manager at Rio Grande
Container Terminal. “Since the start of operations, over 32,000 tons of carbon
emissions have been reduced with the employment of inland navigation,” Lages adds.

“It is highly rewarding to see that Santa Clara is helping to diversify the Brazilian
logistics network. Inland navigation has been an important ally for businesses in their
decarbonization goals, and Santa Clara Container Terminal has demonstrated its
efficiency in this regard,” says Paulo Bertinetti, CEO of Rio Grande Container
Terminal. “In addition to offering greater efficiency in operating costs, waterway
transportation is also considerably cleaner and safer. We are able to develop more
competitive logistics projects from the point of view of logistics costs, which offer less
risk of accidents and damage to our clients’ cargo, in addition to supporting the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” Bertinetti says.

“Santa Clara Container Terminal was the first logistics operator we served for this
type of comparative validation audit in Brazil. We are very pleased with these
initiatives, since transportation and logistics companies are part of an industry that
faces major challenges in meeting the decarbonization agenda, which impacts the
sustainability goals of many other sectors,” says Gustavo Venda, Business
Development Manager at SGS in Brazil. “External validation of sustainability results
is very important to provide greater assertiveness and credibility to the statements.
Helping more companies to achieve significant progress in their ESG agenda is a key
piece in SGS’s work globally,” Venda adds.

Resins, timber, frozen chicken, rubber, and household items represent 80% of the
goods transported through Santa Clara. The goods — for import, export and national
transport — have their origin or destination in the cities of Farroupilha, Carlos
Barbosa, Garibaldi, Caxias do Sul, Triunfo, Veranópolis, Cruz Alta, Lajeado, Taquari
and Serafina Corrêa, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. With eight years of operation,
Santa Clara was recognized by Brazil’s Ministry of Infrastructure as one of the best
facilities in Brazil, in the Portos + Brasil Award, in the category Container Handling in
Private Terminals.

Santa Clara started its operations with one barge owned by Navegação Guarita, in
October 2016, when an association of Wilson Sons and Braskem reactivated Pier IV
and brought back waterway cargo transport between Triunfo and the Port of Rio
Grande. Two years later, Wilson Sons expanded its capacity by providing one more
barge, offering four weekly services. Wilson Sons has recently added 33% to the
operational capacity of Santa Clara Container Terminal. The expansion took place
with the addition of barge Guaíba, of 160 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units),
replacing the old one, of 120 TEUs.

About Wilson Sons

Recognized for its extensive experience of more than 187 years, Wilson Sons is
among the leading port and maritime logistics operators in Brazil. The company
has a national reach and offers comprehensive solutions to over 5,000 clients,
including shipping companies, importers and exporters, the offshore energy
industry, renewable energy projects, the agribusiness sector, as well as other
players across various economic segments. Click here to learn more.

Press Relations
Danthi Comunicação Integrada

Gustavo Villela — [email protected] / +55 21 99124 5158
Lúcia Martins — [email protected] / +55 21 98121 6742