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At the Tubarão Port dock in Vitória (ES), a freighter the size of four football fields is swallowing 400,000 tons of iron ore and discarding a world record that lasted 23 years
The ship Vale Espírito Santo, from the Valemax class, completes on Thursday, May 15, 2026, the largest solid bulk loading ever carried out on the planet, as confirmed by the Brazilian Mining Institute (Ibram).
The operation takes place in the waters of Espírito Santo and surpasses the mark of 335,088 tons that the converted tanker Berge Stahl had set in 2002, according to the same bulletin.
The Tubarão Port is the logistical heart of Vale and the main mineral terminal in the Southern Hemisphere. Moreover, this achievement comes at a strategic moment for the mining company.
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The production of the first quarter of 2026 had already placed the company at the highest production level since 2018, according to Vale’s official balance sheet.
Vale Espírito Santo breaks 23-year record in ore loading
The Valemaxes are considered the largest bulk carriers in the world. Each unit measures 362 meters in length and 65 meters in width.
When fully loaded, the vessel sinks dozens of meters and requires a channel depth compatible with supertankers. Therefore, few ports on the planet can accommodate it.
According to Ibram, the ship is continuously loading cargo at the north dock of Tubarão. To give an idea, 400,000 tons are equivalent to about 8,000 truckloads.
In other words, it would form a road line of more than 100 kilometers if the cargo were transported by road.
The Berge Stahl, the ship that held the previous record, was built in 1986 in South Korea. Originally designed as a tanker, it was converted to solid bulk.
It operated on the Brazil-Europe axis for decades before being scrapped in 2021. Therefore, a historical cycle that began in the 1980s ends here.
According to Vale’s Q1 2026 balance sheet, the mining company produced 69.7 million tons of ore in the quarter. Sales reached 68.7 million, an increase of 3.9% year-on-year.
Tubarão Port receives the record-breaking ship on an unparalleled scale
The Tubarão port complex occupies about 18 million square meters on the coast of Vitória. There, ore, pellet, coal, and fertilizer terminals operate.
The dock also ships pellets from the six plants installed in the complex itself. These plants produced 5.02 million tons in Q1, an increase of 35.1%.
The flow works like a giant conveyor belt. Trains from the Vitória a Minas Railroad arrive from Minas Gerais; trains from the Carajás Railroad bring ore from Pará.
On the other hand, the operation requires constant dredging to maintain a depth of 23 meters in the access channel.
In Q1 2026, Tubarão accounted for a significant portion of the 68.7 million tons sold by Vale. China consumes more than half of the Brazilian ore exported.
In comparison, Brazil exported 426 million tons in 2025, according to Antaq. This volume places the country as the second-largest global exporter, behind only Australia.
Valemax class emerged from the logistical dispute between Brazil and Asia
The Valemaxes were born in 2008 as Vale’s response to the Brazil-China maritime freight cost. The distance of more than 20,000 kilometers between Tubarão and Qingdao penalizes the unit freight.
Therefore, the mining company ordered ships capable of carrying up to 400,000 tons per trip. The standard Capesize transports between 170,000 and 180,000 tons; the Valemax doubles this capacity.
Initially, the fleet faced restrictions in Chinese ports. Therefore, Vale built transshipment hubs in Malaysia (Teluk Rubiah) and the Philippines. Still, in 2015 China allowed direct arrivals.
In fact, logistical economy is Brazil’s Achilles’ heel compared to Australia. Australia ships ore in 12 days to China; Brazil takes more than 35 days.
In practice, a single Valemax replaces more than two Capesizes. This reduces freight per ton by up to 35% on long routes, according to the mining company’s estimates.
However, the operation requires special care. The concentrated mass of ore extends the draft and generates structural stress on the hull.
Vale Espírito Santo operates with cutting-edge onboard technology
The record-breaking freighter features real-time electronic draft monitoring. Sensors attached to the hull send structural stress data to the bridge.
Moreover, dedicated software calculates the sequencing of the holds. A balance error can compromise the stability of the vessel.
As reported by Ibram, the operation follows protocols established after the 2011 incident with the Vale Beijing, which showed cracks in the hull on its first voyage.
Since then, all Valemaxes receive structural reinforcements and intensified inspections. Subsequently, classifiers like ABS and DNV release the dock departure.
To understand the complexity, it is worth noting that the ship carries the equivalent in weight to about 1,000 fully fueled Boeing 747s.
Brazilian mining gains momentum with Vale’s strong Q1
The data consolidated by Vale show that the mineral sector has accelerated again in 2026. This 35.1% increase in the pellet segment has a direct effect on industrial employment in Espírito Santo.
Check out the main milestones of the operation reported by Ibram:
- Ship: Vale Espírito Santo, Valemax class, 362 meters in length
- Cargo: 400,000 tons of iron ore
- Previous record: 335,088 tons (Berge Stahl, 2002)
- Location: Tubarão Port, Vitória (ES)
- Vale Production Q1 2026: 69.7 million tons (increase versus 2025)
- Tubarão Pellets Q1 2026: 5.02 million tons (+35.1%)
In turn, Vale’s growth impacts the Brazilian trade balance. Mining accounts for about 17% of the country’s total exports.
Other Brazilian megaprojects help sustain this flow. For example, the recent surge of ports in the Northeast shows how the country’s port infrastructure remains both a bottleneck and an opportunity.
Similarly, the steel produced from Espírito Santo ore supplies entire industrial chains. Usiminas, which supplies plates for the Navy, depends directly on the regularity of this supply.
Who wins and who loses with the new world record
The operation reinforces Brazil’s position in global trade. However, it raises legitimate environmental concerns around the port.
First, communities neighboring Tubarão have lived with suspended mineral dust for decades. As a result, environmental licensing requires permanent air quality monitoring, under annual audit by the Espírito Santo Iema.
On the other hand, the operation injects significant royalties into the state treasury via the Financial Compensation for Mineral Exploration (CFEM). According to the National Mining Agency, this fund moved about R$ 11 billion in 2025.
However, there are still caveats. Dependence on raw ore creates fragility in Brazil’s export agenda. Countries like Australia are advancing in green reduction projects.
At the same time, the global price cycle fluctuates according to Chinese demand. When Beijing halts projects, the South Atlantic feels the ripple in freight and revenue.
In practice, the question that remains is simple. Will Brazil take advantage of this record to unlock investments in integrated steelmaking, or will it continue as just a supplier of raw material?
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