It started like this...

The Port of Santos was the main gate of entry for Europeans and Asian immigrants coming to Brazil – particularly in the State of Sao Paulo – in the second half of XIX century and until mid XX century.

Passenger ships brought lots and lots of foreigners that came to try their best of luck in Brazilian lands. Families came in search of opportunities, brought by vessels that made history.

After the second half of XX century, along with the expansion of jet flights, especially in the 1960’s, ship-liners, which no longer carried immigrants, but rather passengers making leisure trips, started to lose ground to airplanes.

However, the maritime cruise industry did not merely wait for ways out – it acted proactively to find solutions. A new concept of trip was worked out to replace the old ‘liners’, vessels that used to do regular line trips, such as London-New York.

The Cruise liners were made into environments of constant leisure, carrying about attractions for all ages – from children, to teenagers and adults, and also older people.

Port of Santos, witness of evolution

The Port of Santos witnessed all landmark phases for passenger ships along the decades and centuries, since immigration times until now.

At the beginning of the XX century, quay area of Warehouses 5 and 6 – behind the Customs building – was the main berthing point for passenger vessels. Afterwards, the quay of Warehouses 15 and 16 was used primarily to service the cruise ships, including Warehouse IV (external), for luggage.

Since November 23, 1998, the Port of Santos counts on a new place for cruise ships to berth and passengers to board and get off them, the quay of Warehouse 25: from that date on, operations were under the responsibility of the Maritime Passenger Terminal of Concais, winner of a public bidding promoted by Codesp – Companhia Docas do Estado de Sao Paulo.

The first vessel to have passengers serviced by Concais was Costa Marina, which berthed on November 23, 1998 at the quay off Warehouse 23, next to the Maritime Passenger Terminal. However, the first cruise ship liner to berth at the quay of Warehouse 25, of Concais, was the Portuguese vessel Funchal, on December 2, 1998.

From then on, Concais has received and provided service to tens of cruise vessels from traditional ship operating companies. Every season, the terminal services thousands of passengers from all over the country, from North and South, East and West, making its motto really worth mentioning: “This is the route of all Brazilians.”

Sites of interest:

Memorial do Imigrante (Immigrant Memorial)
www.memorialdoimigrante.sp.gov.br

BrasilGenWeb – Brazilian Genealogy
www.rootsweb.com/~brawgw/immigration.html

Ao Mestre Com Carinho (To Sir with Love)
www.aomestre.com.br/tur/25.htm