JBS Terminais expands operating capacity by 330% at the Port of Itajaí

JBS Terminais has expanded its operating capacity at the Port of Itajaí, in Santa Catarina state, by about 330% since the start of operations in October 2024. Over a period of 18 months, the company handled more than 560,000 TEUs, with average monthly growth of 12%.

In the first quarter of 2026, compared with the same period a year earlier, TEU throughput rose by more than 60%. The company’s expansion strategy includes investments to increase terminal capacity and a commercial focus on specific segments such as meat, timber, machinery and the automotive sector.

According to JBS Terminais President Aristides Russi Junior, the continued rise in volumes and the expansion of the customer base are consolidating a new operational level at the Port of Itajaí and reinforcing the role of logistics infrastructure as a driver of regional and national economic development.

“To reach this level, JBS Terminais invested in the asset. Today, more than 3,000 customers trust the company and the structure offered at the Port of Itajaí as one of the main gateways for Brazilian foreign trade,” Aristides Russi Junior said.

Since the start of activities, the company has allocated about 220 million reais to technological modernization and infrastructure. The investment enabled the acquisition of two state-of-the-art mobile cranes, each with 125-tonne lifting capacity and reach of up to 20 container rows, increasing efficiency in loading and unloading operations.

The strategy also reinforced the terminal’s role in proteins and refrigerated cargo, with the installation of 1,708 reefer plugs. The expanded electrical capacity positions Itajaí as one of the main hubs for perishable cargo in southern Brazil, serving exporters and importers with high control requirements.

Container cargo data from Datamar, South America’s leading maritime trade data provider, shows that 7,161 TEUs of meat products were exported through the Port of Itajaí between January and February 2025. The chart below shows the monthly volumes recorded at the port:

Meat Exports | Port of Itajaí | Oct 2024 – Feb 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

On the landside, the adoption of eight reversible gates, access points whose flow can be adjusted according to operational demand, delivered important gains in speed and shorter truck queues, improving efficiency in the integration between port and road transport.

“For the recovery of the Port of Itajaí, investment was essential to provide a modern and safe structure in line with other relevant terminals. The combination of high-performance equipment, robust infrastructure and efficiency-oriented management supports this new growth cycle,” the executive said.

The terminal currently has an operating area of 180,000 square meters, 1,030 meters of quay and four berths with 14 meters of depth. That structure allows it to handle 10 regular shipping services and seven weekly calls, linking Santa Catarina to strategic destinations in Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa.

Reflecting the recovery of the Port of Itajaí as a strategic infrastructure asset, the number of vessels handled last year was 50% higher than in 2022, the period before operations were interrupted. That growth trend has continued into the first two months of 2026, which already show vessel traffic 26% above pre-shutdown levels. In total, JBS Terminais has accumulated about 400 vessel calls in a year and a half of operations.

Source: CNN Brasil

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