DataLiner data: Containerized exports hold up in 2025, but global outlook poses challenges ahead

Recently released data from Datamar’s Business Intelligence team on Brazil’s container throughput show that, on a cumulative basis from January to November 2025, exports rose 1.2% compared with the same period in 2024. Looking at November alone, however, exports posted a slight year-on-year decline of 1.3%.

Brazilian Containerized Exports | Jan–Nov | 2022–2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Meat products were Brazil’s most exported containerized commodity from January to November 2025, with volumes 4.3% higher than in the same period last year, followed by wood (-8%) and cotton (+3.7%).

China remains Brazil’s main trading partner for containerized exports. Even so, cumulative data from January to November point to a 5.8% drop in shipments to the Asian powerhouse. Following the imposition of higher tariffs, shipments to the United States fell 11.2% over the same comparison. Volumes bound for Mexico also declined, down 5.2%. By contrast, India received 33.4% more Brazilian containerized cargo between January and November 2025 than in the same months of 2024.

Containerized imports, in turn, posted cumulative growth of 5.1% from January to November compared with the first 11 months of 2024. In November alone, imports declined 2% year on year.

Brazilian Containerized Imports | Jan–Nov | 2022–2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Plastics were the most imported commodity in Brazil between January and November, with volumes 4.5% higher than in the same period last year, followed by reactors, boilers and machinery, whose receipts surged 156%, and auto parts, up 8.4%.

China was the leading origin of goods imported by Brazil from January to November, with volumes 6.3% higher than in the first eleven months of 2024. Imports from the United States fell 2.2%, while shipments from Germany rose 1.5% over the same comparison.

Plate data

Datamar’s Plate data also indicate that Argentina’s exports grew 10.7% cumulatively from January to November 2025 compared with the same period of 2024, while imports jumped 63.3% year on year.

Uruguay’s exports rose 5.3% on a January-to-November basis in the 2025 versus 2024 comparison, while imports increased 11.4% over the same period.

Freight rates

Container freight rates on the North Asia–East Coast of South America route showed limited movement in the week ended January 2, reflecting weak demand, low urgency for space and still-subdued fundamentals, according to Platts.

Although carriers continue to seek additional cargo, market participants reported reduced expectations of significant rate swings in the short term. Vessel utilization remained mixed, without levels deemed critical, but with indications that shipping lines may adopt strategies to boost loaded volumes.

In this context, Platts assessed PCR31 — North Asia to the East Coast of South America — at $1,400 per FEU, up $200 week on week.

Outlook

Looking ahead, Brazil’s containerized foreign trade is likely to face a period of adjustment and realignment, marked by greater market selectivity and lower regulatory predictability.

The entry into force of Chinese quotas on meat products and Mexican tariffs is expected to add pressure on volumes, particularly for higher value-added agribusiness shipments, increasing the need to accelerate destination diversification, notably toward India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

At the same time, the potential ratification of the Mercosur–EU agreement stands out as a positive structural driver, albeit with a gradual impact, while international freight rates are expected to remain relatively stable, constrained by moderate global demand and excess capacity on some routes.

In this environment, Brazil’s competitiveness will increasingly hinge on logistics efficiency, productivity gains and commercial flexibility to absorb external shocks and sustain medium-term growth.

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