Paraná Ports Set New First-Half Cargo Record in 2025

Total cargo movement, including exports and imports, through Paraná’s ports reached 34,252,008 tons in the first half of 2025. This volume is 1.4% higher than in the same period last year (33,780,236 tons), setting a new record for the period.

“This is the best first half in our history. People sometimes think it’s easy to reach this level, but it’s not! Maintaining customer loyalty requires major investment in logistics infrastructure and in the training of the people who work here,” said Luiz Fernando Garcia, CEO of Portos do Paraná.

Consistency in Exports

According to Gabriel Vieira, Director of Operations at Portos do Paraná, export performance was steady compared to 2024, rising slightly from 21,261,128 tons in the first half of 2024 to 21,275,295 tons in 2025 (an increase of 0.1%). The result is considered positive given political, economic, and sanitary factors that affected market dynamics.

“Paraná’s ports operated consistently in the first half, with no vessel queues and strong productivity. The volume outlook for the second half of the year is very positive,” the director said.

The largest export volume was soybeans, with 7,863,227 tons shipped. Portos do Paraná was responsible for 30% of Brazil’s soybean meal exports, shipping 3,428,464 tons. The main destinations were France, the Netherlands, and South Korea. The commodity generated FOB revenue of US$1.1 billion, representing its value at the port of departure.

The Paraná port also led in soybean oil exports during the first half, shipping 528,000 tons—equivalent to 64% of Brazil’s total exports of the product. The data comes from the official system of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services, Comex Stat.

Growth in Imports

Imports through Paraná’s ports rose by 3.7%, from 12,519,108 tons in the first half of 2024 to 12,976,714 tons in 2025. Fertilizers led the volume, with 5,251,240 tons unloaded.

Sourced from China, Russia, and Canada, the fertilizers were mainly destined for the states of Paraná, São Paulo, Mato Grosso, and Goiás. Nationally, Paraná’s ports lead in fertilizer imports, accounting for 27% of Brazil’s total.

Containers

Container handling also increased, rising from 780,457 TEUs in 2024 to 803,041 TEUs in 2025. A standout was meat exports: Paraná’s ports lead the national ranking, accounting for 34% of Brazil’s total meat shipping volume. The main destinations were China, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, and Japan. The most exported meats from Paraná were, in order, chicken, beef, and pork.

See below for a historical overview of container movement at the Port of Paranaguá starting in January 2022. The chart was created using DataLiner:

Container Movement via Port of Paranaguá – Jan 2022 to May 2025 – TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

Investments

To support operational growth, the public company is investing more than R$600 million in the Moegão rail terminal project, which will connect 11 terminals via overhead galleries. The new terminal will feature three independent rail lines, capable of simultaneously handling up to 180 fully loaded grain and meal wagons. Since trains will no longer need to enter terminals as they do now, switching operations will be eliminated, significantly reducing disruptions to urban traffic.

“This project will revolutionize our rail reception system. We’ll increase current capacity from 550 wagons per day to up to 900 daily wagons, reaching a total capacity of 24 million tons per year,” explained Victor Kengo, Director of Engineering and Maintenance at Portos do Paraná.

T-shaped Pier

Another operational investment will be the construction of the T-shaped pier, which will increase productivity at the Port of Paranaguá. The four new berths will have capacity to handle up to 8,000 tons per hour—compared to the current average of 3,000 tons per hour.

For the construction of the pier, three leaseholders in the Paranaguá port area will invest R$1.2 billion, and the Paraná state government will contribute an additional R$1 billion. With the ability to receive larger ships, the new structure at the Eastern Export Corridor (Corex) will be capable of handling 32,000 tons per hour.

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