Cargo handling at Brazilian public ports up 5.68% in 2020

Cargo movement from Brazilian public ports grew 5.68% in 2020 compared to 2019:  447.1 million tons of cargo were handled last year compared to the 423 million tons handled in 2019. Most of the main port authorities that concentrate about 80% of leasing contracts in national ports recorded positive figures, showing that not did the sector survive during the pandemic, but it even managed to grow.

SANTOS / SP – Largest port complex in the Southern Hemisphere, the Port of Santos registered a 9.3% increase in cargo handling compared to 2019, with 146.5 million tons of cargo handled in 2020. In addition to the record number of loads, records were set for certain loads during the first 11 months of 2020. Solid bulk goods increased 14.9% on an annual basis, to 70.5 million tons; liquid bulk also grew by double digits (10.7%), to 17.2 million tons.

Companhia Docas do Rio de Janeiro (CDRJ) saw its cargo movement grow by 46%. The ports of Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro, Niterói, and Angra dos Reis recorded a 21% increase in revenues, totaling R$ 630 million, the highest growth in the last ten years. At the ore terminals, which account for approximately 72% of the volume handled at the ports managed by CDRJ, there was a recovery in handling, which had fallen in 2019. Container terminals also managed to recover, and the company’s other terminals combined represented a growth of more than 30% in the volume handled in 2020 in comparison with 2019.

CODEBA – Another highlight was the Port of Ilhéus, belonging to the Companhia das Docas do Estado do Bahia (CODEBA). Its growth in cargo handling was 118.4% since 2019. Together with the other ports of the port authority (Aratu-Candeias and Salvador), the increase was 40.3% in the volume of cargo handled. As for the type of cargo, the increase in the movement of gaseous products (21.40%), solid bulk (9.53%), and general cargo (25.89%) showed the largest increases.

CDP – The Companhia Docas do Pará (CDP) ports recorded a 10% increase in cargo handled. The ports of Vila do Conde, Santarém, and Belém together handled 30.8 million tons in 2020. The largest growth was at Vila do Conde, which went from 14.8 million to 16.2 million tons handled.

SUAPE – Another complex that set a new cargo-handling record was the Port of Suape: 25.6 million tons were handled in 2020, an increase of 7.53% compared to 2019 when the port handled 23.8 million tons. It is the largest volume ever recorded in Suape’s 42-year history and exceeds the target set for 2020 despite the pandemic that hit the world economy.

ITAQUI / MA – The Port of Itaqui reached the end of 2020 breaking a record set in 2019 and closed the year 2020 with 25.3 million tons of cargo handled. 12.1 million tons of grains (soybeans, corn, and soybean meal) were handled – including the Tegram and VLI operations – an 8.5% growth over the same period last year. And the volume of fertilizer reached 2.6 million tons, an increase of 21% over last year.

SANTA CATARINA – The Port of Imbituba handled 5.8 million tons, a volume 1.8% higher than the volume handled in 2019. The most-handled cargo for the period were petroleum coke, soybeans, iron ore, containers, corn, salt, and urea. In all, there were 228 ship moorings in 2020.

PARANAGUÁ / PR – Also in the south, the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina (PR) broke the previous record by 8%, handling 57.3 million loads.

CEARÁ – In Fortaleza, Companhia Docas do Ceará closed 2020 setting several records in the Port of Fortaleza. Compared to the same period in 2019, the EBITDA indicator led the growth, increasing by 254.35% (from R$ 3.3 to R$ 11.8 million), which shows CDC’s cash-generation potential for future investments. Other indicators that grew were Revenues, growing by 13.49% (from R$ 56.3 million to R$ 64 million), and Cargo Handling, growing by 12% (from 4.4 million to 4.9 million tons).

PORTO DO PECÉM – Container goods totaled 4.8 million tons last year, the second-most-handled cargo in the Port of Pecém in 2020, behind only the solid bulk category which moved 7.7 million tons. Containerized cargo was the second most relevant cargo in the composition of the cargo nature index in tons, holding a 30% share.

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