Port of Paranagua posts record barley operation on a single vessel

The bulk carrier Mercury Island, arriving from Argentina, unloaded 50,000 tonnes of barley at berth 202 at the Port of Paranagua. The operation was completed on Wednesday (March 18) and set a record for the largest volume of the product ever handled on a single vessel in Parana state. The cargo will now be transported to inland destinations in the state.

The previous record had been set by the vessel Akra on Jan. 26 this year, with 49,448 tonnes handled. “These consecutive records are only possible because of the increase in draft, which allows us to receive increasingly heavily loaded vessels,” said Portos do Parana Chief Executive Luiz Fernando Garcia.

Ongoing dredging work and investment made it possible to increase the operational draft, which is the distance between the water surface and the deepest point of a vessel. A deeper draft allows ships to carry more cargo on a single voyage, expanding the port’s operating capacity and reducing logistics costs.

In less than a year, the state-run company obtained two authorizations to increase draft, the result of continuous planning and execution work. In December 2024, draft increased from 12.8 meters to 13.1 meters, and in September 2025 to 13.3 meters. The additional 50 centimeters allowed, for example, an extra 3,700 tonnes to be loaded per vessel.

Barley throughput rises

Barley, the main raw material used in traditional beer, posted 34% growth in throughput at Parana’s ports. Comparing the first two months of 2025 with the same period in 2026, volume rose from 123,404 tonnes to 165,338 tonnes.

In addition to malt production, the grain is also used for human consumption and in animal feed. “Although Parana is Brazil’s largest barley producer, domestic demand is high, and the state remains one of the main destinations for the product,” said Portos do Parana Ports Operations Director Gabriel Vieira.

Parana as a brewing hub

According to the latest data from Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Parana had 174 registered breweries in 2024, 3% more than in the previous year. Between 2020 and 2024, the sector invested about 5 billion reais in beverage production, input purchases, production process modernization and packaging manufacturing.

Source: Portos do Paraná

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