Port Activity in Imbituba Achieves Record-Breaking Year in 2023

Imbituba’s port activity maintained robust figures and set a new record in 2023. The year-end report by SCPAR Porto de Imbituba, the administrator of the public port, documented 7.7 million tons from January to December, marking an annual milestone and an 8% growth compared to the previous record in 2022 (7.1 million tons). The number of ship dockings also increased 3.2%, totaling 289 vessels.

The past year’s cargo movement was predominantly characterized by the handling of solid bulk cargo, constituting 83% of the total activity, of which 55.2% were minerals and 44.8% were plant/agricultural products. Throughout 2023, Imbituba Port listed petroleum coke, corn and soybean meal, containers, salt, and corn as its top volumes, followed by soybeans, fertilizers, wood logs, bituminous coal, malt/barley, and wheat, among other commodities.

Throughout the year, the port showed a monthly average of receiving 24 ships and handling over 640,000 tons. “This result not only contributes to Imbituba establishing itself as a competitive logistics alternative but also represents an increase in the average amount of cargo moved per ship, growing by 4.7% in tonnage compared to 2022, reducing overall freight costs and bringing greater efficiency,” noted Urbano Lopes de Sousa Netto, CEO of SCPAR Porto de Imbituba.

Exports led the port’s workflow, accounting for 52.9% of the total activity and experiencing a growth of 48.7% compared to 2022. The primary destinations for these cargoes were Asian countries (China, Iran, and Vietnam), as well as Portugal and the United States.

Conversely, imports claimed a 35.8% share of operations despite a 19.9% contraction compared to the imported volume in 2022. Frequent sources of imported products included the United States, Chile, China, Argentina, and Colombia. Federal Government data shows Imbituba’s foreign trade operations moved over 2 billion dollars between January and December 2023.

The chart below provides a comparison between exports and imports at the Port of Imbituba from January 2019 to Nov 2023. The data is from DataLiner.

Imbituba Exports and Imports | Jan 2019 – Nov 2023 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

José João Tavares, the Director of Infrastructure and Operations at the port, explained that the increase in this activity was heavily influenced by the rise in the transportation of agricultural bulk, particularly soy and cornmeal, corn, and soybeans in grains.

The Port Authority’s expectation, as outlined in SCPAR’s Strategic Planning, is that the port will handle around 8 million tons in 2024. Operational success is accompanied by the prospect of approximately R$620 million in public and private investments in the port complex over the next four years, aimed at expanding capacity to meet market demand.

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