Fertilizer Associations Push for Public Berth Guarantees at Port of Santos

Four major fertilizer industry associations are urging the Santos Port Authority (APS) to guarantee access to public berths at the Port of Santos. Handling 4.6 million tons of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertilizers annually, these operators are concerned about potentially losing access to berths 31 through 35.2, located on the port’s Right Bank, which may become prioritized for private lessees.

Antonino Wenceslau Gomes Netto, executive director of the Brazilian Association of Fertilizer Blenders (AMA Brasil), visited Grupo Tribuna’s headquarters last Friday (9) to present the industry’s concerns to TV Tribuna CEO Roberto Clemente Santini. Also attending the meeting were Alexandre Soares (administrator and partner at Set Logística), Giovanni Carbone Borlenghi (business director at Grupo Cesari), Paulo Converso (director at Grupo Cesari), and lawyer Thiago Miller.

According to Gomes, a formal letter was submitted to APS on April 11 expressing concerns about berth densification in the pulp terminal area on the Right Bank. “This raises uncertainty about whether we can continue to operate vessels at berths 31 through 35.2,” he stated.

The letter was signed by AMA Brasil, the National Fertilizer Distribution Association (Anda), the Fertilizer and Agricultural Correctives Industry Union (Siacesp), and the Brazilian Association of Plant Nutrition Technology Industries (Abisolo).

“We request that a dedicated fertilizer berth be included in the Port of Santos’ Development and Zoning Plan (PDZ). We ask for a compatible timeframe to develop a specific fertilizer unloading and handling area. In the meantime, we wish to continue using the berths currently being densified for pulp companies,” Gomes explained.

He warned that if densification proceeds, pulp terminals may gain docking priority at public berths, “potentially preventing fertilizer vessels from unloading.”

Cargo Impact

Gomes highlighted that the Port of Santos receives 160 fertilizer vessels per year—approximately one every two days. “Each ship unloads around 35,000 to 40,000 tons. Without berth access, we’ll be forced to seek alternative ports, increasing trucking distances to supply markets currently served by Santos.”

He also noted that 94,000 trucks transport fertilizer from Santos to São Paulo’s interior, southern Minas Gerais, the Triângulo Mineiro, and southern Goiás. “That market, totaling 4.6 million tons of imported product, could shift to another state.”

Check below for a historical overview of fertilizer imports via the Port of Santos. The chart was created based on DataLiner data:

Fertilizers Imported via Port of Santos | Jan 2022 – Mar 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

APS Response

In a statement to A Tribuna, APS President Anderson Pomini said he supports requests to maintain and expand public berths. He also stated that berths at the new passenger terminal will be made available to meet terminal operation demands, given the seasonal nature of tourism.

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