APM Terminals Pecém donates radar reflectors to Pecém Fishermen's Colony

In December 2021, APM Terminals Pecém donated 106 radar reflectors to the Colony of Professional and Artisanal Fishermen and Fish farmers belonging to the Pecém Fishermen's Association.

These devices amplify the identification of one vessel using the radar of another. The installation of reflectors, also called deflectors, increases the safety of rafts by increasing their visibility to larger vessels. The product does not use electricity and does not require a radar on the vessel to work effectively.
 
The donation covers all the sailing rafts in the Pecém Colony. The model delivered to them is a modern tubular type and reduces the risk of collisions and damage to nets. It also facilitates searches and rescues in emergency situations. The model was chosen to ensure that fishermen use them. The most common models generally use three flat metal surfaces fixed to the sail shaft. However, some sailing raft owners complain that this type of reflector damages the sail and discourages use during navigation.

The donation was proposed by André Magalhães, who worked as a commercial manager for APM Terminals Pecem at the time: "I thought about it because of a rescue during my experience as a ship pilot sailing on the Northeast Coast. In bad weather conditions, such as rain or fog, or even at night, it is of great importance for the safety of navigation to offer visibility to vessel radars. In addition, some rafts are painted in green or blue colors, predominant colors in the Northeastern Sea, which makes them more difficult to see", explains Magalhães.

Daniel Rose, managing director of APM Terminals Pecém, says the main objective is to raise levels of safety and encourage fishermen to be aware of the issue: "We know that the vast majority of sailing rafts do not have radar reflector, whilst several large vessels also navigate in the region. This coexistence needs to be safe for both. Therefore, we understand that the donation will bring a great benefit to the fishing community, which we admire and respect very much. And hopefully we can make the use of the reflector the everyday standard," reinforces Rose. 

Marcelo Gomes Ferreira, Commander of the vessel Monte Sarmiento, of the shipowner Aliança Navegação, praised the action and reinforced the importance of the reflector: "Small vessels involved in fishing, when using the radar deflector, improve the sharpness and increase our range of viewing the vessels, thus improving the safety of navigation for the life of all who are involved in fishing activities and cargo transport activities, which is the case with ships. And we congratulate APMT for the donation initiative, in order to value, improve and ensure the safety of an activity that is extremely important, not only economically, but culturally as well", concludes Commander Ferreira.