Port of Rio Grande handles over 16 million tonnes through May, with nearly 10% growth

The Port of Rio Grande, the main facility of the hydroport system in Rio Grande do Sul, handled 16,148,129 tonnes between January and May 2025. The volume represents a 9.86% growth compared to the same period in 2024 when 14,698,880 tonnes were recorded. In May alone, 3,599,534 tons were handled, representing a 31% increase over April.

Solid bulk led port operations, with 9,262,030 tonnes — 57.4% of the total. General cargo accounted for 33.8% (5,461,834 t), while liquid bulk totaled 1,424,265 tonnes (8.8%). All categories grew compared to the previous month: solid bulk (41.94%), general cargo (14.74%), and liquid bulk (28.76%). The information is from the Portos RS website.

Among the products with the highest year-to-date growth through May are corn, with a significant increase of 894.23% compared to the same period in 2024, followed by sulfates (129.83%), potassium chloride (80.38%), and meat (47.19%). Container throughput also increased: there were 77,353 TEUs in May — a growth of 49.45% compared to May 2024. In the year-to-date, the increase was 29.08%, with 139,855 TEUs imported and 145,374 TEUs exported.

In exports, the main destinations were China (1,962,399 tonnes), Vietnam (1,007,605 tonnes), Indonesia (558,973 tonnes), Saudi Arabia (494,764 tonnes), and South Korea (410,298 tonnes). In imports, the highlights are China (914,083 t), Argentina (567,882 t), Russia (452,065 t), Morocco (264,113 t), and Canada (196,610 t).

Between January and May, the Port of Rio Grande received 1,297 of the 1,570 vessels that operated in the port complex of Rio Grande do Sul, that is, 82.6% of the total.

Below is a historical overview of container throughput at the Port of Rio Grande. The chart was created using data from DataLiner:

Container Throughput at the Port of Rio Grande | Jan 2022 – Apr 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Rio Grande do Sul port complex exceeds 16 million tonnes in the year
Adding the operations of public ports and private and leased terminals, the port complex of Rio Grande do Sul handled 16,727,989 tonnes in the first five months of 2025, representing an 8.04% growth compared to the same period in 2024. The result consolidates the recovery of port operations one year after the floods that impacted the state.

Pelotas and Porto Alegre ports maintain a growth pace
The Port of Pelotas handled 105,619 tonnes in May, with highlights for timber logs destined for pulp production (93,004 t) and clinker, an input for cement manufacturing (12,615 t). Year-to-date, the port has handled 469,899 tonnes, representing a 173% increase compared to the first five months of 2024 (431,195 tonnes).

In Porto Alegre, the public pier handled 16,713 tonnes in May. Of this total, 16,168 tonnes were fertilizer inputs and 545 tonnes of general cargo.

Source: Jornal do Comércio

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