Container Throughput at the Port of Santos Grows for the Third Consecutive Month

Container throughput at the Port of Santos grew for the third consecutive month in 2025, reaching 460,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in March—an increase of 1.2% compared to last year. This marks the highest volume ever recorded for March at the port. The solid performance also pushed the cumulative figure for the first quarter to 1.3 million TEUs, setting a new quarterly record with year-on-year growth of 6.9%.

Soybeans once again led among agricultural commodities, with 6.1 million tons handled, a 14.7% increase. Pulp also posted strong growth, with 730,000 tons shipped—up 18.9%. Soybean meal throughput reached 898,800 tons (+9.5%), and corn saw a remarkable jump of 36.7%, though with a modest total of 1,700 tons. In the fuel segment, gasoline stood out with a sharp increase of 235.6%, totaling 106,800 tons—following February’s 70.8% rise.

“These growing figures show the need for bold infrastructure investments to prepare for the future of the Port of Santos. That’s why the Federal Government is making an unprecedented investment of R$ 12.5 billion to improve both land and sea access—including ring roads, deepening of the navigation channel, the Santos-Guarujá tunnel, and other essential works, as well as the expansion of the Port’s Poligonal area,” said Anderson Pomini, president of the Santos Port Authority (APS).

The total cargo volume moved through the port in March reached 16.1 million tons, representing a slight increase of 0.1% compared to March 2024. Exports amounted to 12.5 million tons (+0.8%), while imports totaled 3.6 million tons, showing a drop of 2.1%. Vessel traffic notably increased, with 521 dockings recorded—up 7% year-on-year.

Solid bulk cargo reached 8.9 million tons (+5.1%), driven by shipments of soybeans and soybean meal. Despite a significant 40.2% drop, sugar remained the second-largest cargo by volume at 1.1 million tons (bulk, bagged, and containerized). On the other hand, liquid bulk cargo declined 6.1% to 1.6 million tons, largely due to a steep 44.6% fall in citrus juice shipments. Nonetheless, gasoline and diesel/gasoil shipments rose by 50.1%. The general breakbulk cargo segment reached 899,000 tons, up 12.2%, with pulp achieving record volumes for both March and the first quarter (+24.8%). Green coffee exports also rose by 9.1%, totaling 218,800 tons.

Foreign Trade

The Port of Santos plays a pivotal role in Brazil’s foreign trade, accounting for 29.4% of the country’s trade flow in March. China remained the port’s leading trade partner, responsible for 28.4% of the transactions, while the state of São Paulo led the national operations through Santos with a 51.2% share for the month.

Container Throughput at the Port of Santos | Jan 2022 – Feb 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

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