Containerized and General Cargo Volumes Rise in January 2025

Containerized and general cargo volumes increased in the first month of 2025, continuing the steady growth trend observed since last year.

According to data from the National Waterway Transport Agency’s (ANTAQ) Aquaviary Statistics report, general cargo throughput rose 3.86%, totaling 5.2 million tonnes.

Containerized cargo reached 13.7 million tonnes, marking an 18.58% increase. Of this total, 9.3 million tonnes were handled in foreign trade operations, while 4.2 million tonnes were moved via cabotage. In TEUs, throughput for the month totaled 1.2 million.

Dry bulk, which accounts for 53.3% of total cargo throughput, registered 48.9 million tonnes in January, down 13.1%, mainly due to declines in corn (-34.5%) and soybean (-54.5%) shipments. Liquid bulk cargo volumes also fell, reaching 23.9 million tonnes (-11.9%).

Total port sector throughput for the month stood at 91.6 million tonnes, an 8.27% decrease. Among the standout commodities were pulp (+16.12%), salt (+15.27%), and inorganic chemicals (+12.88%).

Maritime Transport

Foreign trade shipping handled 63.6 million tonnes in January 2025, down 6.34%, while cabotage operations totaled 24.1 million tonnes (-4.6%). Inland waterway shipping recorded a sharper decline, with 3.7 million tonnes transported (-41.8%).

Public Ports

Public ports handled 32.5 million tonnes in January 2025, a 5.58% decrease compared to the same period last year.

Among the country’s 20 busiest ports, the Port of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) posted the highest growth for the month, handling 1.7 million tonnes—an increase of 43.46% compared to January 2024.

The chart below shows Brazil’s busiest container ports in 2024, according to information derived from Datamar’s DataLiner.

Top Container Ports | Brazil | 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Private Terminals

At authorized private terminals, cargo throughput declined 9.68% compared to January last year, totaling 59.1 million tonnes.

The month’s highest growth rate among the 20 busiest private-use terminals (TUPs) was recorded at Porto Itapoá (SC), which saw a 28.4% increase, handling 1.4 million tonnes.

Source: Antaq

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