Port of Itajaí records 40% growth in cargo throughput

In April alone, 430,300 tonnes were handled in Itajaí (Disclosure)

The Port of Itajaí (SC) recorded a 40% increase in cargo throughput during the first four months of this year compared to the same period in 2025. From January to April, the Santa Catarina port handled 1.67 million tonnes of cargo. In April alone, throughput at Itajaí reached 430,300 tonnes, representing a 57% increase over the same month last year.

To expand the operational capacity of the port complex and enable the berthing of larger vessels, the Ministério de Portos e Aeroportos (MPor) and the Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários (Antaq) are preparing the auction for the waterway access channel to the Port of Itajaí.

With estimated investments of R\$ 311 million, the concession provides for the expansion, maintenance, and operation of the channel infrastructure over the next 25 years. The auction is expected to take place in the second half of the year.

Last month, the Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU) found no irregularities that would prevent the auction from proceeding. However, it conditioned the publication of the bidding documents on the implementation of a series of technical, economic, and contractual adjustments.

National Secretary of Ports, Alex Ávila, emphasized that the project consolidates Brazil’s new model for managing waterway infrastructure, which began with the concession of the Paranaguá channel.

The contract will include periodic dredging, continuous maintenance, navigational aids, and integrated waterway traffic management. By the end of the concession period, the channel is expected to have the capacity to handle annual traffic of up to 3.43 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

The Santa Catarina port remained inactive for approximately one and a half years. Operations resumed in 2023; it was temporarily administered by Autoridade Portuária de Santos (APS) in 2025, and this year management was transferred to Companhia Docas do Estado da Bahia (Codeba).