Norsul Celebrates 60 Years as One of the Largest Private Cabotage Companies in Brazil

On November 18, Norsul celebrated 60 years of history. Since its founding, the company has been a key player in the growth of Brazilian navigation, operating in cargo transportation from north to south, covering both the Brazilian and international coasts.

As a 100% Brazilian cabotage company, Norsul has the largest private fleet in the country, with 21 owned vessels, including ocean convoys and ships. Additionally, it operates around 100 chartered vessels, with an average of 850 trips per year. The company has completed six decades and is looking to further diversify its business in the coming years.

With a keen eye on the navigation market, Norsul finds room to grow. In 2022 alone, the company transported 28 million tons of dry and liquid bulk. Sectors such as agriculture, energy, oil and gas, and steel are current strategic focuses for the company, as they move significant volumes in the country’s main logistics corridors.

A Journey of Success, Marked by Adaptability and Business Innovation

Founded in 1963 by Norwegian Erling Lorentzen, the company has been a key player in the growth of Brazilian navigation, with a trajectory of adaptability and competence amid numerous economic and political changes over these 60 years. Specializing in the transportation of dry and liquid bulk with homogeneous, general, and project cargoes, both in cabotage and long-haul, Norsul transports items such as minerals, steel products, wood and cellulose, grains and fertilizers, light derivatives, and biofuels, as well as special cargoes.

Angelo Baroncini, CEO of Norsul, highlights that the company has seen the nautical sector develop and mature, gaining more innovations and branches that aid local and personal progress. “Norsul’s history is a journey of success, of direct contribution to the country’s development and the strengthening of the maritime sector. We have always taken an active stance towards business challenges, adapting and reinventing ourselves to deliver valuable and committed solutions to our clients,” explains the executive.

In synergy with this purpose and with the goal of diversifying and creating businesses, Norsul and the German company Hapag-Lloyd recently launched the joint venture Norcoast, which will offer independent and integrated container cabotage services, with operations set to begin in the first quarter of 2024. This project represents not only growth for the company but also a hallmark of Norsul’s pioneering spirit in exploring uncharted market opportunities. “We see this new phase for Norsul and new businesses as a natural reflection of our daily dedication, which combines trust, quality, and hard work to offer our clients the best maritime transport services,” says the CEO.

Rodrigo Cuesta, CFO of Norsul, points out that the company currently has several diversification initiatives under study and explains that the Norcoast joint venture is an example of how Norsul projects innovation in business. “When we talk about Norsul, we are looking to expand our scope of operations, and the first step we took was this joint venture. Norsul’s investment appetite in Brazil is to grow in the waterway transport sector, complementing the offer for our current and future clients. It is part of our growth plan to also work with partnerships. They are important to accelerate and bring security to new operations,” he emphasizes.

According to Fabiano Lorenzi, Commercial Director, the company’s vessels are capable of serving maritime trade between different Brazilian and South American ports: “Today, we transport a wide variety of liquid bulk, including chemical cargoes, biofuels, light derivatives, and oil. In our fleet, we have bulk carriers and multipurpose ships, specialized chemical and cement ships, as well as ocean convoys, with six decades of expertise,” he notes.

Partnerships and Cultural Transformation Support Norsul’s Growth

Another successful partnership is an investment to optimize energy efficiency on vessels, a technology developed with the startup BioRen, to combat biofouling, a natural process of colonization and growth of organisms on submerged surfaces. The project uses electromagnetic fields to prevent unwanted marine growth without harming the environment. The solution is unprecedented in the market. The company also uses other partners and focuses on 4.0 technologies and IoT as part of its strategy to enhance the energy efficiency of its vessels and operations.

Beyond addressing the current needs of the navigation market, Norsul has also been investing in strategies to support the company’s growth objectives. Aline Carvalho, Executive Manager of People and Management, is responsible for Norsul’s cultural transformation strategy, which aims to support the company’s growth and, above all, the mission to perpetuate the great legacy of its founder. One result of this transformation was the increase in female presence in management positions from 25% to 33% over four years, a significant milestone in a still predominantly male market. Additionally, the company revised its organizational structure, creating the areas of New Business, Market Intelligence, Customer Relations, Compliance, and Legal, all focused on executing the business strategy.

A History of Leadership in Navigation

In the last 20 years, Norsul has innovated and brought the concept of ocean convoys to Brazil, designing and building its fleet and signing long-term contracts. Since then, the company has continued to record a trajectory of evolution and success:

• In 2003, it began operations of the Caravelas traffic, between southern Bahia and Espírito Santo. Around that time, it started supporting the Humpback Whale Institute, as well as seeking ways to guide and train its crew to avoid any mishaps with the animals, as the barges pass through Abrolhos, the whales’ breeding ground.
• In 2014, through a partnership with a Chilean company, it entered the liquid transport market. From this move, the company developed expertise and continues to have expansion opportunities at various points in the value chain, from platform relief to cabotage of derivatives.
• In 2019, Norsul became the first Brazilian navigation company (EBN) to transport cement and clinker by acquiring a cement carrier. The annual volume of cement transport is around 250,000 tons per year, potentially reducing 6,250 trucks on the roads.
• In 2022, Norsul 12 became the first purple barge on record. Norsul also started the biofuel route from Paraná to Pernambuco.

Want to know more about our history? Access our timeline.