Port investments open new logistics prospects for Brazil’s Northeast

A series of public and private investments planned for the coming years, which could exceed R$4 billion, is expected to expand port infrastructure capacity in the Northeast, a region gaining importance both in the flow of agricultural production and in the receipt of goods for the domestic market.

In 2024, the region’s ten organized ports and 19 private-use terminals (TUPs) handled 330 million tonnes of cargo — a 3.52% increase compared to 2023, against a national rise of 1.32%, according to the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq). So far this year, through August, accumulated growth stands at 1.14%.

Two factors underpin this expansion. The first is the region’s economic performance, which has been growing above the national average. Consulting firm Tendências projects an annual GDP increase of 3.2% in the Northeast between 2027 and 2034, compared with 2.3% for the country. The second is the growing role of Northeastern ports in the outflow of crops from both the Matopiba region — which includes grain-producing areas of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia — and the Center-West, with new logistics corridors expected to come into operation in the coming years.

“Demand for waterway transport services in the Northeast is increasing, and expanding port capacity is urgent,” says Alex Sandro de Ávila, national secretary for Ports. In 2024, the Port of Itaqui (MA) shipped 17.8 million tonnes of soybeans and corn harvested in those regions and received 4 million tonnes of fertilizers, according to Antaq. The cargo reaches the Maranhão port by truck and, mainly, via the rail corridor formed by the North-South Railway (Northern Section) and the Carajás Railway.

See below a history of long-haul cargo movements through the Port of Itaqui. The chart was prepared with DataLiner data and excludes cabotage, transshipment, and other internal movements:

Long-haul cargo handling via Port of Itaqui | Jan 2022 to Sep 2025 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

New infrastructure projects are expected to expand grain transport to the Northeastern ports. The Transnordestina Railway, which will connect Matopiba to the Port of Pecém (CE), is expected to begin gradual operations between 2027 and 2028. At the end of October, the federal government launched a tender for construction of the stretch between Salgueiro (PE) and the Port of Suape (PE).

In 2026, the Ministry of Transport plans to auction the East-West rail corridor, formed by the West-East Integration Railway (Fiol) and the Center-West Integration Railway (Fico), linking Lucas do Rio Verde (MT) to Ilhéus (BA).

Two waterways are also in the plans: the Parnaíba Waterway, with 924 navigable km between Uruçuí (PI) and the new port of Piauí in Luís Correia; and the São Francisco River Waterway, stretching 1,371 km between Pirapora (MG) and Juazeiro (BA) and Petrolina (PE), whose tender is scheduled for late 2026. This waterway is expected to connect to the Centro-Atlântica Railway (FCA) in Juazeiro and to Fiol in Cariacá (BA), potentially reaching the ports of Ilhéus or Aratu via a new railway section from Jequié (BA).

The Northeast is experiencing a moment of maritime transport expansion. The federal government plans to invest R$ 350 million in projects such as dredging works at the ports of Suape (PE), Recife (PE) and Natal (RN). Another R$ 184.75 million has already been contracted through 11 terminal auctions since 2023, including solid and liquid bulk terminals in Recife and Maceió, and passenger terminals in Maceió and Fortaleza (CE).

By the end of 2026, auctions are expected to attract R$ 647.25 million in investments. They will offer two solid bulk terminals (in Itaqui-MA and Natal-RN), a container terminal in Fortaleza, and a passenger terminal in Recife.

Among private investments, the highlight is APM Terminals, a Maersk subsidiary, which will invest R$ 1.6 billion in a new terminal in Suape with an annual capacity of 400,000 TEUs, set for completion in 2026. Meanwhile, the Maranhão Grain Terminal (Tegram) in Itaqui will receive R$ 1.16 billion for expansion, raising its annual capacity from 15 million to 23.5 million tonnes.

According to port operator Admar Pereira of Ziran Logística, this investment will help reduce ship berthing queues, which can reach 35 days during harvest exports. “Each idle ship represents a cost of US$ 30,000 to US$ 40,000 per day,” he says.

For Maurício Laranjeira, industrial policy manager at the Pernambuco State Federation of Industries (Fiepe), the new container terminal in Suape should attract new shipping lines and diversify routes, especially with the United States and Asia. “It’s more market opportunity for Pernambuco’s economy,” he says.

The volume of investment could be even higher if the Ministry of Ports and Airports moves forward with its plan to expand the Port of Aratu-Candeias (BA) through a Landlord Port-model concession, in which the state retains ownership of the land and basic infrastructure while a private operator develops new areas, piers and terminals.

“The project is in its final drafting phase and will be submitted to the Federal Audit Court in the first half of 2026,” says Ávila. The goal is to hold the auction next year, with concession contracts lasting up to 70 years.

“Aratu and Itaqui are the ports with the most available land for greenfield projects and will play an important role in expanding Northeastern port infrastructure,” the secretary adds.

Carlos Henrique Passos, president of the Bahia State Federation of Industries (Fieb), believes the region’s ports have good infrastructure and strong expansion potential but face land-access bottlenecks. “There’s a lack of intermodal connectivity,” he says.

The productive sector calls for the modernization and duplication of highways BR-101 and BR-116, which serve most ports in the region, and the revitalization of existing rail networks, such as the Centro-Atlântica Railway (FCA), linking Belo Horizonte to Aratu and operating at an average speed of 11 km/h, and Transnordestina Logística (FTL), connecting the ports of Itaqui, Pecém and Fortaleza via Teresina (PI), with trains running at around 7 km/h, according to the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT).

Source: Valor Econômico

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