K-Line leads the largest vehicle transhipment operation in the history of Suape

On Monday, April 4th, the Panamanian-flagged Canadian Highway vessel arrived at the Port of Suape to carry out the largest transhipment operation ever recorded in the port’s history. Out of 1,652 vehicles involved in the operation, 690 will undergo transhipment.

Transhipment refers to the process by which products enter a country’s customs jurisdiction, are moved to another ship, and then depart for a new destination. In other terms, it is the direct transfer of products from one vessel to another, analogous to a stopover. The automobiles in this operation are from Argentina and will wait at Pátio Público de Veículos 2B (PPV2B) before continuing to Mexico and Colombia on another ship.

The operation is the product of K-Line’s new hub, installed in November last year. Since then, hundreds of passenger automobiles and utility vehicles have landed at the Port of Suape before continuing to other foreign destinations. The units made in Uruguay and Argentina are now being shipped to Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States.

The previous record for this sort of operation was 400 cars. In addition to the 690 automobiles that will be transhipped, the Canadian Highway operation will include 632 vehicles exported and 330 imported, for a total of 1,652 cars handled.

Vehicle handling

Vehicle handling was one of Suape’s highlights in 2021. The number of imported and exported automobiles was 20% greater than the previous year, according to data provided by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq). In 2021, this proportion increased to 47,841 units, up from 39,922 in 2020. In 2022 (January and February), data point to 8,370 automobiles, up from 6,840 the previous year, a 22% rise.

Suape is the gateway for Stellantis (formerly FCA) vehicles, produced at the Jeep plant in Goiana and the group’s plant in Betim (MG), with destinations like Argentina and Mexico. The harbour also imports vehicles from important brands, such as Toyota.

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