They have 66 Valemax ships in use currently. (Maybe 65 after the Stellar Banner ran aground 100ks off the Ponta da Madeira port in March this year, with 300,000 tonnes on board) They are pretty big and require deep water ports, but that's the plan, apparently. Here is the link:

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3095851/brazilian-miner-vale-looks-satisfy-chinas-appetite-iron-ore


Stella Banner- later scuttled after 145,000 tonnes was recovered.

Now South China Morning Post is of course, pro-China, and will be as optimistic as possible. Valemax ships need deep water ports. Ponta da Madeira is deep water, but is limited, and shares the Port of Sao Luis with other cargo ships.

Alacantra is across St Mark's Bay from Sao Luis, is deep water, can specialise mainly in iron ore, and the port has been under planning & some basic reclamation work (by CCCC) for some time. I have posted on it before. Needs a train link to the Carajas line, and probably about 4 years of work- maybe. It's a small municipality of about 21,000.


Alacantra Port- design

• ALCÂNTARA MIGHT RECEIVE BRAZIL’S LARGEST MULTIMODAL
  PORT

  Aug, 15, 2019Posted by Sylvia Schandert

  Week 201934

  The Thematic Chamber of Infrastructure and Logistics (CTLog), of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock,
  and Supply presented a project to build a multimodal port terminal, with the possibility of a port
  back-up area exceeding 300m square meters,minimum natural draft of 25 meters, and with
  easy access by rail and waterway. The Alcântara Port Terminal is expected to receive investments of
  around R$10bn by 2024.The new port in Maranhão will be able to move, initially, 140m tons/year in four
  berths. For comparison, the Ponta da Madeira (MA) terminal, Brazil’s largest terminal, handled 198m
  tons in 2018.The first stage would be occupied by loads of ore and grain, which would benefit from
  the 25-meter natural draft discovered in the region. This channel in St. Mark’s Bay gives direct access
  to the ocean for 400,000 gross tonnage vessels, the largest to dock in Maranhão.

  According to the project, the multimodal solution includes a deepwater port, the Alcântara Terminal
  (TPA), and a railroad,the Maranhão Railway.
  
  https://www.datamarnews.com/noticias/alcantara-might-receive-brazils-largest-multimodal-port/