Maersk invests R$1.6bn in new terminal at Suape

Leo Huisman, CEO of APM Terminals for the Americas region, said the increased capacity at Suape is expected to immediately benefit imports from Asia’s textile sector by reducing logistics costs and enhancing competitiveness for regional exporters.

Fully funded by Maersk’s parent company, the new terminal will be 100% electrified, marking the first of its kind in Latin America. “The cost of technology for electrified terminals has been dropping rapidly,” Mr. Huisman said.

Ricardo Rocha, president of Maersk for the East Coast of South America, highlighted that the project aligns with the company’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. Both executives will attend the groundbreaking ceremony this Friday at Suape alongside government officials.

APM Terminals is currently operating at full capacity in Brazil. “We’ll need to double our capacity within the next five to 10 years,” Mr. Huisman said.

He noted that Brazil’s projected 3% economic growth this year was a positive surprise and has contributed to a 22% rise in imports and a 16% increase in exports. Nationally, the country’s terminal infrastructure is nearing its limit.

Suape, the sixth-largest port in Brazil by cargo volume, was chosen for its advancements in dredging. Currently, no Brazilian port has the desired depth of 17 meters, a national bottleneck in attracting large vessels used globally.

Suape’s external channel has already been dredged to 20 meters, while the internal channel is expected to reach 16.2 meters within six months, supported by a R$327 million investment that includes jetty restoration. Funding for the dredging comes from the Pernambuco state government and Brazil’s federal government under the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC3).

The dredging at Suape will also enhance operations at liquid bulk terminals, facilitating the output from Petrobras’s Abreu e Lima Refinery, whose construction resumed earlier this year.

After completing a 222-day demolition phase, APM will now select companies to construct the quay, yard, and buildings. The new terminal is expected to be fully operational by June 2026. The company has already invested R$241 million in 28 electrified pieces of equipment.

APM Terminals operates and develops terminals in 33 countries. The Suape terminal, expected to generate 300 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect ones, is one of three global projects currently underway by the company, alongside developments in Rijeka, Croatia, and Vietnam.

Mr. Huisman emphasized the importance of investing ahead of demand for future growth. “We will expand berthing windows for our clients, enabling them to introduce new services connecting Pernambuco to multiple global ports,” he said.