The lineup of vessels waiting to load sugar in Brazilian ports fell to 50 ships from 56 last week, shipping agent Williams said Friday. In a weekly report, Williams said 36 vessels were lined up in the southern port of Santos, down from 41 last week. There were 12 vessels at Paranagua, up from 10 a week ago.
The line-up in Maceio, in north-eastern Brazil, was unchanged at one vessel waiting to load. More than half the mills in the center-south, which accounts for 85 percent of national sugarcane output, have started harvesting the 2007/08 crop. Santos port accounted for 73 percent of the sugar tonnage being loaded in Brazilian ports.