Northeast Ports Handled 7.5 Million Tonnes in April

The public ports of Brazil’s Northeast region handled 7.7 million tonnes of cargo in April, a 7% increase compared to the same month in 2024, according to the Aquaviary Statistics Report published by the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq).

Soybeans led cargo volumes, totaling 2 million tonnes — a 15.4% increase year-over-year. Consolidated as a strategic hub for soybean outflow in the Northeast, the Port of Itaqui, in the state of Maranhão, accounted for the entire volume of soybean shipments. In total, Itaqui handled 3.3 million tons of cargo in April, up 12.4% compared to the same period last year.

The Port of Itaqui is one of Brazil’s main gateways for exporting grains, fuels, and minerals produced in the Midwest and Northeast regions. To illustrate Itaqui’s significance, Suape Port in Pernambuco ranked second in the area, with a total of 1.8 million tonnes moved in April — almost half of Itaqui’s volume.

Below is a historical overview of exports from Itaqui Port. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Exports from Itaqui Port | Jan 2022 – Apr 2025 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Alex Ávila, Brazil’s National Secretary for Ports, highlighted that these achievements are the result of joint efforts and well-established projects. “The growth observed in cargo throughput at major port terminals in the Northeast shows that the Federal Government’s planning to revitalize the transportation sector and the national economy is being successfully executed. The investments made over the past two years have boosted development in our sector and, as a result, improved the economic indicators of cities in the region,” Ávila stated.

Container throughput experienced significant growth, increasing by 9.2% to a total of 1.1 million tonnes across all organized ports in the Northeast. Fertilizer shipments also rose sharply by 39.2%, reaching 600,000 tonnes.

Source: Informativo dos Portos

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