Container throughput at the Port of Santos remains on upward trajectory in January

In January 2020, the Port of Santos registered the highest container throughput for the month of January. The mark was 338,476 TEU, up 2.0% compared to the previous record, registered in January 2018 (331,748 TEU), and 16.2% compared to last year (291,295 TEU). In tons, the increase compared to January 2019 was 12.1%.

Good performance in container handling helped mitigate the drop in the overall result. Total cargo that passed through the Port of Santos reached 8,313,049 tons, registering the third largest mark in the period. The record for the month was January 2019, with 9,053,996 tons.

Other cargoes that registered a positive contribution in the month were shipments of fuel oil, which rose from 80,372 tons to 155,010 tons (+ 92.9%) and pulp, rising from 400,028 tons to 472,043 tons (+ 18.0%). The increase in wheat imports also rose from 72,901 tons to 130,915 tons (+ 79.6%).

According to the Santos Port Authority (SPA) Tariff and Statistics Management, the drop in the grand total can be attributed mainly to the reductions in two of the most important cargoes exported through the Port of Santos.

Bulk corn shipments went from 1,141,538 tons to 530,544 tons (-53.5%) and soybeans in grain, from 800,507 tons to 478,562 tons (-40.2%). In the case of corn, shipments were impacted by the end of the harvest and the reduction of Chinese purchases, due to the decrease in the pig herd in that country, affected by swine fever last year. The product is used to feed those animals. The soybeans did not start shipping in January, which historically starts in February. Last year, the beginning of the harvest flow was anticipated and the soybean grain registered an increase of 118.5% in relation to the same month of the previous year, a fact that inflated the statistical numbers.

The flow of ships in January registered a total of 374 vessels, 15 less than in January last year.

Sharing is caring!