DataLiner: Brazilian container handling data from March indicate a stagnant economy

Brazilian imports via containers have, in 2022, registered a volume drop compared to the first quarter of 2021. From January to March 2022, 606,345 TEUs were handled vis-a-vis 722,214 TEUs in the same period last year, down 16.04% in terms of volume.

In March alone, imports totaled 191,506 TEUs, an even greater fall than the same month in 2021, 26.17%. Notwithstanding, the volume imported by Brazil in the first quarter is in line with 2020 and 10% higher than in 2019.

It is worth noting that, at the beginning of 2021, Brazilian imports via containers boomed as the economy slowly began to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, which closed ports and factories, mainly in China, with significant repercussions for Brazilian imports.

Check below a comparison of Brazilian imports via containers in the first quarter of the last four years. The data is from DataLiner:

Brazilian imports via containers | Q1 2019 to 2022 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The decrease in imported volumes has resulted in a reduction of freight values in dollars. S&P Global data released on Monday, May 2, show that freight to South American destinations has dropped dramatically in the last week. For example, the freight charged at the North Asia route to South America’s East Coast fell by $600 in a week, closing at $6,400/FEU.

Exports

Brazilian container exports in the first quarter of 2022, which were unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, were pretty much in line with the same period in 2021, with 694,276 TEUs handled, a slight drop of 0.49% from the first three months of 2021 and 8.4% higher than volumes seen in the first quarter of 2020.

Despite this, comparing only March 2022 with March 2021, the data show a 4.91% drop in shipments. Approximately 249,841 TEUs were shipped in March 2022 against 262,760 TEUs in the same month of 2021.

Check below a comparative breakdown of Brazilian exports via containers in the first quarter of the last four years. The data is from DataLiner:

Brazilian exports via containers | Q1 2019 to 2022 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Future perspectives 

With new lockdowns in China as a result of the country’s zero-tolerance policy for Covid, import and export volumes via containers are likely to remain lukewarm in the short term. Furthermore, other factors such as the Ukraine war, inflation, upcoming elections, and the prospect of interest rate hikes in the United States are unlikely to change this scenario anytime soon.

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