Cargo movement grows 8% in five months at Brazil’s public ports

With 188 million tons transported, Brazil’s public ports experienced an 8.08% increase in the first five months of the year compared to the same period in 2023. Private terminals also showed a positive percentage during the period, with a 2.06% increase, handling 337 million tons.

Brazilian ports overall reported a 4.14% growth in cargo transport from January to May this year compared to the same period in 2023. A total of 525.3 million tons were handled. The data comes from the Aquaviary Statistics of the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq).

This year, solid bulk cargo experienced a 7% growth, representing 59% of the total handled in the country. Containerized cargo saw an even higher increase, up by 22.85% in the first five months of the year. Among agribusiness products, the most notable growth variations were in sugar - 59.52%, totaling 12.1 million tons - and wheat - 35.09%, totaling 4.8 million tons.

The Port of Santos, the largest port complex in Latin America, saw a 9.48% increase in cargo movement this year, handling a total of 56 million tons.

The Port of Paranaguá, in Paraná, handled 24.2 million tons, an 8.29% increase compared to the first five months of last year. The third most active public port was the Port of Itaguaí, in Rio de Janeiro, with a 22% increase in the period, handling 24 million tons.