Port of Itaqui seeks expansion to keep up with growing grain production

The growing production of grains, such as soybeans and corn, in the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia—known collectively as the Matopiba region—has led to an increased use of ports in the so-called Northern Arc (terminals in Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, and Maranhão) for agricultural exports. One of the most prominent of these is the Port of Itaqui in Maranhão, which now ranks as the fourth-largest public port by cargo throughput in Brazil, trailing only Santos, Paranaguá, and Itaguaí.

In August 2024, the Maranhão port set a new record by handling 3.7 million tonnes of cargo, including grains, minerals, cellulose, fertilizers, and fuel. “To keep up with the pace of the expansion of the agricultural frontier and solidify the port’s competitiveness, we’ve been implementing continuous modernization efforts since 2012,” said Hibernon Marinho, Director of Operations at the Port of Itaqui, which is managed by the Maranhão Port Administration Company (Emap).

Emap is investing roughly R$350 million in Itaqui to fund expansion projects, staff training, process upgrades, and the enhancement of its innovation program.

In addition to these public investments, the private sector also contributes to the port’s infrastructure. The Grain Terminal (Tegram), operated by a consortium of four companies—NovaAgri, Viterra Brasil, CLI, and ALZ Grãos—is receiving a R$1.6 billion investment for expansion. The project is in the final stages of approval by the Ministry of Ports and Emap.

The investment aims to increase static storage capacity from 500,000 to 836,000 tonnes. Monthly vessel loadings are expected to rise from 24 to 36 ships, and the terminal’s annual grain throughput is projected to grow from 15 million to 24 million tonnes. According to Marcos Pepe Bertoni, president of Tegram, the new facilities are slated to begin operations in 2027.

Opened in 2015, Tegram underwent its first expansion in 2019, and by the following year, it had a 10 million tonnes throughput—double its original capacity. “The current expansion focuses on increasing storage units, truck dumpers for receiving cargo, and building a new berth,” Bertoni explained.

Currently, 97% of the grain volume received at Tegram comes from the states of Tocantins, Maranhão, and Piauí, with the remainder arriving by rail from eastern Mato Grosso and parts of Bahia.

The chart below uses DataLiner-derived information to show the month-on-month progression of grain exports through the Port of Itaqui between January 2021 and July 2024.

Corn and Soybean Exports at Itaqui Port | Jan 2021 – Jul 2024 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Fertilizers

Copi Operações Integradas is one of the companies operating at Itaqui in the fertilizer import sector. In 2020, the company launched a new receiving terminal. “It’s a mechanized, high-productivity system with a capacity of 70,000 tonnes,” said Guilherme Eloy, Copi’s Executive Director.

From Itaqui, Copi distributes part of the fertilizers to regional importers and transfers the rest to a multimodal terminal in Palmeirante, Tocantins, via the North-South Railway. About R$400 million has been invested in this project, covering the construction of the terminals at Itaqui and Palmeirante and the logistics of transporting cargo between the two sites.

Last year, Copi handled around 3.2 million tonnes of fertilizers. “The rail corridor from Itaqui to Palmeirante transported 400,000 tonnes. This corridor has the capacity for 1.5 million tonnes. Therefore, we expect to move more fertilizer inland, where the demand is, and Palmeirante will likely become a major mixing hub,” Eloy noted.

Decarbonization

Beyond expansion, another key goal for the future of the Port of Itaqui is sustainability. In March, Emap joined the “Brazilian Ports Decarbonization Alliance.” This initiative, created in partnership with Spain’s Valenciaport, aims to develop a decarbonization plan for Brazilian terminals.

In addition to Itaqui, other members of the alliance include the Port of Suape, Paraná Ports, Port of Açu, Porto Sudeste, Valencia Foundation, Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), Private Port Terminals Association (ATP), and the Brazilian Association of Port and Waterway Authorities (ABEPH).

“We’ve also digitized our operations, from berth requests to closure, and today, you can monitor everything happening at the port in real time through a mobile device,” Marinho added.

Source: Globo Rural

Click here to access the original news report: https://globorural.globo.com/especiais/caminhos-da-safra/noticia/2024/09/porto-do-itaqui-busca-expansao-para-acompanhar-crescimento-agricola-do-matopiba.ghtml

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