Cargo Throughput at Port of Santos in September Hits Record 16 Million Tons

Cargo throughput at the Port of Santos set a new monthly historical record in September, surpassing 16 million tonnes for the first time.

Totaling 16.2 million tonnes in September, a 19% increase compared to the same period last year (13.6 million tonnes), Latin America’s largest port also exceeded its previous monthly record, set in June of this year (15.6 million tonnes).

This performance elevated the year-to-date total to 127.6 million tonnes, marking a 3.1% increase and the highest level for the period.

In September, exports reached 12.3 million tonnes, 26.9% higher than the same month in 2022 (9.7 million tonnes). However, imports experienced a slight decline of 0.7%, totaling 3.8 million tonnes. Year-to-date, exports reached 95.7 million tonnes, a 6.3% increase, while imports reached 31.8 million tonnes, a 5.3% decrease.

The performance of agribusiness commodities like corn, soy, and sugar was crucial to the growth in cargo throughput at the Port of Santos. Corn reached 4.0 million tonnes in September, nearly doubling the volume from the same month last year (2.1 million tonnes), representing a growth of 91.9%. Soy increased by 47.3%, totaling 863,400 tonnes, and sugar reached 2.7 million tonnes, marking a 32.7% increase.

Year-to-date, corn amounted to 11.6 million tonnes (a 35.9% increase), soy reached 28.6 million tonnes (a 17.3% increase), and sugar amounted to 15.6 million tonnes (an 8.1% increase). The combined volume of these three commodities represents 44% of the total cargo throughput for the year through September at the Port of Santos.

In September, significant growth was noted in cargo unloading operations, including fertilizers (834,800 tonnes), up 31.4%; sulfur (195,600 tonnes), up 146.5%; salt (135,000 tonnes), up 56.4%; and caustic soda (109,400 tonnes), up 53%.

Solid bulk cargo reached 9.5 million tonnes in September, a 52% increase driven by corn, soy, sugar, and fertilizer. Year-to-date, they amounted to 70.4 million tonnes, an 11.7% increase.

Liquid bulk in September reached 1.7 million tonnes, marking a 2% increase, with significant growth in fuel oil (up 22.4%), diesel oil (up 49.9%), caustic soda (up 53%), and gasoline (up 83.1%). Year-to-date, liquid bulk amounted to 14.2 million tonnes, a 0.5% decrease.

Containerized cargo totaled 397,520 TEUs in September, an 18.3% decline, and reached 3.5 million TEUs year-to-date, a 7.4% decrease.

The number of ship arrivals for the year reached 4,040, marking a 3.5% increase.

See below a comparison between exports and imports at the Port of Santos between Jan 2019 and Aug 2023. The data is from DataLiner.

Exports & Imports at Santos Port | Jan 2019 – Aug 2023 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Trade Flow

The Port of Santos maintained its share of 28.3% in Brazil’s trade flow. Regarding national trade with foreign countries through the Port of Santos, 30.8% involved China as a partner. The state of São Paulo presented the highest share in trade transactions with foreign countries through the Santos port complex, accounting for 54.1%.

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