Porto Itapoá announces two new shipping services in its Portfolio

Porto Itapoá will add two new shipping services to its portfolio: one connecting to Northern Europe and another to Manaus. “The expansion of maritime routes strengthens Porto Itapoá’s competitiveness, as the terminal is connected to all major markets worldwide,” says Porto Itapoá CEO Ricardo Arten.

The main international highlight is the inclusion of Porto Itapoá in the rotation of the NEOSAMBA service, operated by Maersk. The new route directly connects Santa Catarina to the main hubs in Northern Europe.

The new rotation includes the ports of Southampton (United Kingdom), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), Bremerhaven (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), Tangier (Morocco), Santos (Brazil), Paranaguá (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Itapoá (Brazil).

With the arrival of NEOSAMBA, Porto Itapoá further expands its presence on European trade routes. The terminal already handles two other important services connecting Brazil to Europe via the Mediterranean: Bossa Nova/Sirius 1, operated by Maersk and CMA CGM, and WMED/MSE, operated by MSC and Hapag-Lloyd.

Check a historical overview of long-haul container traffic through Porto Itapoá from January 2022 to April 2026. The chart, prepared using DataLiner data, excludes cabotage operations, transshipments, and other domestic cargo movements:

Container Exports and Imports via Porto Itapoá | January 2022 to April 2026 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

Europe holds a strategic share in the terminal’s cargo throughput. In 2025, imports from the European Union accounted for approximately 19% of all import cargo handled by Porto Itapoá, equivalent to around 285,000 TEUs.

Among the main cargo segments, 76% of all imported food and beverages handled by the terminal originated from the European Union. The bloc also accounted for 27% of chemical imports and 13% of machinery cargo handled at Itapoá.

On the export side, the European Union represented approximately 12% of all export cargo handled by the terminal in 2025, totaling around 180,000 TEUs. Among the main segments, 19% of forest products — such as wood and pulp — exported via Porto Itapoá were destined for the European market.

The bloc also accounted for 22% of home appliances and electronics exports, in addition to 14% of machinery and steel cargo shipped from the terminal to Europe.

The strong connection with the European market is also driven by Porto Itapoá’s strategic location, close to major industrial and consumer hubs in Southern and Southeastern Brazil, including the regions of Joinville, Curitiba, and São Paulo. “Santa Catarina has a highly industrialized economy strongly connected to the European market, and Porto Itapoá is strategically positioned to meet this demand with logistics efficiency, proximity to production hubs, and increasingly robust maritime services,” highlights Arten.

Brazilian Coast

In the cabotage segment — coastal shipping along the Brazilian coast — the terminal will also be strengthened by the new ALCT1 service, operated by Aliança Navegação e Logística, scheduled to begin operations in June. The new express route will connect Itapoá to Manaus with a maritime transit time of approximately 13 days.

The service will offer two weekly calls at Itapoá, expanding logistics capacity for industrial cargo, electronics, consumer goods, and refrigerated products transported between Brazil’s Southern and Northern regions.

Porto Itapoá already operates the BRACO service, managed by Mercosul Line and CMA CGM, which also connects Manaus and several ports along the Brazilian coast.

Cabotage growth at the terminal has accelerated in recent years. In 2025, Porto Itapoá handled approximately 298,000 TEUs in this segment, representing a 32% increase compared to the previous year and consolidating the terminal as the leader in cabotage throughput among ports in Southern Brazil.

In addition to operational growth, the expansion of cabotage also strengthens national logistics competitiveness. According to ABAC (Brazilian Association of Cabotage Shipowners), maritime transport can reduce freight costs by up to 30% on strategic routes, thanks to the economies of scale provided by ocean shipping.

A single vessel can transport the equivalent of 200 to 300 trucks in a single voyage, diluting operational costs such as fuel, crew, and maintenance across a much larger cargo volume.

“Cabotage has been gaining market share because it combines cargo capacity, operational predictability, and logistics competitiveness. The growth recorded at Porto Itapoá shows that the market is increasingly seeking more efficient cargo transportation solutions in Brazil,” says Arten.

With more than 8,000 kilometers of coastline and a large concentration of industries located near the coast, Brazil has the potential to significantly increase cabotage participation in the national logistics matrix. According to the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the country could quadruple container transportation by cabotage in the long term, driven by investments in port infrastructure, logistics, and greater operational efficiency.

Shipping Services

Maritime services are a fundamental part of the foreign trade supply chain. Offered by shipping lines (companies responsible for vessels and containers), these services connect different markets and bring dynamism to the global economy.

For this reason, terminals seek to diversify their service offerings. At Porto Itapoá, customers can access services connecting to the world’s major markets: Asia, South America, North America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, in addition to cabotage services connecting several points along the Brazilian coast.

Check here the list of maritime services calling at Itapoá: https://www.portoitapoa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Portfolio-de-Servicos-Maritimos-2026-Abril.pdf

Source: Porto Itapoá

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