Port of Santos posts record August for cargo and container handling

Despite the tariffs imposed by the United States, the Port of Santos closed August with new records, according to the monthly movement summary released by the Intelligence and Statistics Department of the Santos Port Authority (APS).

It was the best August in history for cargo throughput, with 16.5 million tonnes handled between imports and exports — an increase of 3.5% compared to the same month in 2024. Container volumes also reached a monthly record, up 8.9% year-on-year, totaling 518,100 TEUs.

From January to August, Santos moved 3.8 million TEUs, an 8% increase over the same period in 2024.

“The figures show that August was a month of overcoming adverse international conditions and point to a consolidation of a historic year for the sector. This is the result of the joint work of port workers, companies and terminals, as well as the diplomatic efforts of the federal government and the productive sector,” said APS president Anderson Pomini.

In addition to the sharp rise in container handling, there was significant growth in exports of pulp (55.8%) between August 2024 and 2025, as well as soybeans (27%), juices (20.8%), gasoline (24.1%), and fuel oil (15.3%). Vessel traffic also increased, with 489 ship calls — up 9.6%.

Santos’ share of Brazil’s total trade flows reached 29.9% in August, compared with 28.5% in the same month last year.

Impact of U.S. Tariffs

Data from the Comex system of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (Mdic) shows that the value of exports from Santos to the United States fell by 5.79% in August compared to August 2024, the first month under the new tariffs.

However, the overall value of exports rose 8.55% in the same period. Exports to China surged by 63.25%.

Source: Porto de Santos

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