The port of Natal handled 11.8% less cargo in 2021

The Port of Natal recorded an 11.8% drop in cargo handling in 2021 compared to 2020 numbers. In general, the percentage represents 82.2 thousand tons fewer solid bulk items and containers compared to the previous year.

The data can be found in the statistical report of the National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) that was released on Wednesday, February 2, during a press conference with the agency’s directors and representatives.

The port handled 614.6 thousand tons in 2021. In the previous year, the volume had been 696.8 thousand tons. This is the second consecutive year that the port decreases handling rates. In 2020, when the Natal terminal shipped 696.8 thousand tons, there was a reduction of 4.8% compared to 2019 (732,542).

The number’s breakdown shows that the most significant drop in handling occurred with solid bulks, which retracted 24.03% to 215.7 thousand tons. On the other hand, the handling of containers totaled 379 thousand tons and decreased 4%.

The Port of Natal is used for general cargo, more specifically for the export of fruits and stones (quartzites) and the transshipment of containerized cargo. The drop is also perceived in long-haul navigation; that is, imports and exports.

The ANTAQ survey shows that the Port of Natal had a reduction of 24.78% in exports and 0.72% in imports. The cabotage movement also suffered a setback with a drop of 39.59%.

Currently, within the Brazilian cabotage system, Natal is only part of the Fernando de Noronha route. The Northeast region also showed a retraction of 1%, handling 330.6 million tons in the last year. The Pecém Port Terminal (CE) stood out with the handling of 21.9 million tons, an increase of 37.6% in the year.

Data from Companhia Docas do Rio Grande do Norte (Codern) point to an even greater drop: 13%. The movement went from 710,912 tons in 2020 to 617,469 in 2021. Codern explains that the shortage of containers, a problem that affected all Brazilian terminals last year, caused the problem. The figures recorded in Natal go against the national trend. In 2021, the country presented a growth of 4.8%.

According to Diogo Piloni, national secretary for Ports and Waterway Transportation at the Ministry of Infrastructure, despite the reduced handling seen in 2021, Codern is expected to receive more investments once the destatization bidding processes begin, as happened with the Terminal Areia Branca Salineiro, leased at the end of last year for R$ 100 thousand.

Source: Tribuna do Norte

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