Cargo throughput in Brazilian ports rise 5.9% from January to April 2024

Cargo throughput at Brazilian ports increased by 5.92% in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year, according to figures released by the National Waterborne Transport Agency (Antaq) on Monday (June 17). This supports the Ministry of Ports and Airports’ projection of at least 6% growth in 2024, with port movement reaching 413.5 million tons of cargo in this period.

“The strength of agribusiness exports is concentrated in the second half of the year. This suggests there is potential for port movement to grow even further by year-end, possibly approaching an 8% increase over 2023,” said Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho.

Among agricultural products, soybeans (53.7 million tons) saw a 4% increase. Sugar (9.2 million tons) grew by 72%, while coffee (1.1 million tons) increased by 80% compared to the first four months of 2023.

Public ports handled 147.4 million tons in the first four months of the year. Santos led with 43.9 million tons, up 11.7%, accounting for 30% of the total. Paranaguá followed with a 13% increase (19 million tons), and Itaguaí grew by 34.6% (18.8 million tons).

The Port of Santos is South America’s largest. The chart below illustrates container exports and exports between January 2021 and April 2024.

Santos Port Container Exports & Imports | Jan 2021 – Apr 2024 | TEUs

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Monthly Data

In April, total port movement reached 105.13 million tons, a 2.59% increase over the same period last year. The biggest gains were in bauxite (+43.05%), sugar (+32.89%), and wheat (+27.78%).

Containerized cargo movement in April hit 12.40 million tons, up 23.18% from the same period last year, representing 1.12 million TEUs. Of this, 0.74 million tons were long-haul and 0.37 million tons cabotage. From January to April, containerized cargo grew by 23.40%, totaling 47.40 million tons.

Solid bulk, accounting for 59.8% of total cargo, grew by 2.72% compared to April 2023, with 62.88 million tons moved in April. Year-to-date, solid bulk reached 241.09 million tons, a 7% increase.

Conversely, liquid bulk and general cargo dropped, with 25.13 million tons (-1.18%) and 4.70 million tons (-18.14%) handled in April, respectively. Over the first four months, liquid bulk accounted for 105.59 million tons (-0.07%) and general cargo for 19.25 million tons (-8.31%).

Navigation

Maritime support navigation saw the highest growth in April compared to the same month in 2023, handling 0.11 million tons, a 21.31% increase.

Long-haul cargo movement was 74.97 million tons in April 2024, showing 5.09% growth over the same period last year. Cabotage rose by 1.59%, reaching 23.19 million tons, with container cabotage up 30.01% compared to April 2023.

Port support cargo operations and inland navigation decreased by 4.79% and 16.72%, respectively, with 0.12 million and 6.73 million tons handled.

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