Santa Catarina Ports to Surpass Santos in Container Throughput by 2027

The ports of Santa Catarina are set to surpass the container throughput of Brazil’s largest port complex, the port of Santos, within the next three years. This projection was presented by the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) during a meeting at the Federation of Industries of SC (Fiesc) on Monday (22nd).

The anticipated growth is primarily driven by significant investments from the state’s two largest private terminals, Portonave in Navegantes and Porto Itapoá. These investments will boost their annual capacity beyond the 5.3 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) seen in Santos. Portonave and Porto Itapoá will invest over R$3 billion in Santa Catarina.

Antaq’s Deputy Regional Manager, Lucas Sampaio Ataliba, predicts that with the maturation of the Port of Itajaí operations following a new concession, container throughput in Santa Catarina could reach 6.5 million TEUs per year within five years.

While the outlook is positive, it brings important warnings about the need for the state to prepare for the increased volume. One major challenge is the road infrastructure, which already faces chronic issues. “The road infrastructure in Santa Catarina is already a bottleneck, and the increase in cargo volume will worsen the already critical situation in access to ports. The private sector was forced by the market to make investments to address these issues, but the public sector needs to keep up,” warned Ataliba.

At Portonave, accessed via BR-470 and BR-101, there are an average of 2,100 trucks per day, with peaks of up to 3,000 trucks in 24 hours—a 6% increase compared to last year.

Another concern is waterway access and the hinterland infrastructure, where containers are stored before or after being stuffed. The current service offerings are worrisome and limit the competitiveness of Santa Catarina’s ports. According to Antaq, the estimated static capacity of warehouses in Santa Catarina for storing empty containers does not exceed 100,000 TEUs per month in a market exceeding 200,000 TEUs per month and approximately 2.5 million TEUs per year. The problem was exacerbated at the end of last year when the collection of empty containers in storage terminals due to the shutdown of the Navegantes terminal led to waiting times of up to 30 days, resulting in demurrage for importers.

Inside Investments

Portonave is investing R$1 billion to modernize its pier to accommodate larger ships, up to 400 meters in length. One berth has been closed since January to facilitate the work, which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026. Despite the partial shutdown, container traffic at the Navegantes terminal fell by just 9.43% from January to May 2024. This performance was also affected by the temporary closure of the access channel.

“At Porto Itapoá, we expect to invest R$2 billion to expand capacity in the coming years,” said an Antaq representative. The terminal recently completed the third phase of its expansion, adding 200,000 square meters of yard space and an 8,000 square meter warehouse, making it one of the largest container yards in Brazil with a capacity of up to two million TEUs. Additionally, Porto Itapoá and the State Government have proposed a partnership to facilitate the dredging project for the access channel to Babitonga Bay, currently under review by the Ministry of Ports and Airports in Brasília.

The following chart shows the sum of container exports and imports recorded for the ports of Navegantes and Itapoa between January 2021 and May 2021. The data featured below comes from DataLiner.

Navegantes and Itapoa Container Throughput | Jan 2021 – May 2024 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

In Imbituba, R$95 million is planned for port infrastructure improvements, including the recovery, reinforcement, and expansion of Pier 3. This will allow the reception of larger ships, extending from the current 200 meters to around 270 meters, along with the installation of modern cargo systems. Container movement in Imbituba increased by 59.33% in the first five months of 2024, totaling 40,412 TEUs. Operational restrictions at other Santa Catarina terminals have placed Imbituba on the radar of shipowners and businesspeople, according to Antaq.

Finally, the concession for the Port of Itajaí includes R$2.9 billion in new investments, such as expanding the hinterland area. The notice for this concession is expected to be released soon, with the auction anticipated next year.

These investments and improvements underline the dynamic growth and strategic importance of Santa Catarina’s ports, positioning them as critical hubs in Brazil’s maritime logistics network.

Source: NSC Total

Click here to read this story’s original rendition: https://www.nsctotal.com.br/colunistas/dagmara-spautz/investimento-bilionario-fara-portos-de-santa-catarina-superarem-santos

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