In the Amazonas region the worst drought since records began has caused essential container services serving the Manaus box port terminals of Porto Chibatao and Superterminais to be cancelled for close to two months.

Although the rainy season has begun again now up high up in the Peruvian Andes, the recent huge reduction in unloaded/loaded boxes has wrecked many shippers’ Black Friday plans.

Federal and state governments have combined to invest Reais100 million (US$20.5 million) on Emergency Dredging at two choke points, but port operators and shippers worry that it might not be enough.