Sugar and Fertilizers Bring Cargo Throughput at Brazilian Ports to a Hike

Sugar and fertilizer throughput at Brazilian ports reached record highs in August, with volumes hitting 4 million tonnes and 4.65 million tonnes, respectively.

In August 2024, sugar exports surged by 33.19% compared to the same period last year, while fertilizer operations were up by 28.97%. These figures come from the Waterway Statistics report by the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (ANTAQ).

The chart below allows readers to compare Brazilian sugar long-haul exports registered at maritime ports in the first eight months of the last four years. The data was extracted from the DataLiner intelligence service, a Datamar product.

Sugar Exports | Jan-Aug 2021 vs Jan-Aug 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Brazilian ports recorded 119.37 million tonnes of outbound and inbound cargo during the month, a slight decline from 120.20 million tonnes in August 2023. Year-to-date, cargo throughput increased by 3.41%, reaching 885 million tonnes over the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Cargo Categories

Container throughput set a new record for August, with 13.16 million tonnes moved—an increase of 12.68% compared to the previous year—representing 1.21 million TEUs. Of this total, 8.72 million tonnes were handled in international deep-sea routes and 4.30 million in coastal shipping (cabotage).

General cargo reached 4.93 million tonnes in August (+0.98%), while dry bulk cargo throughput totaled 75.53 million tonnes (+0.32%). Liquid bulk volumes, however, dropped to 25.75 million tonnes (-9.17%).

Shipping Segments

Coastal shipping (cabotage) was responsible for transporting 24.39 million tonnes in Brazilian ports during August, marking a 0.82% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

Deep-sea (international) cargo volumes totaled 88.01 million tonnes in August 2024 (+0.70%), while inland waterway transportation saw 6.75 million tonnes (-19.08 %), a result largely affected by drought conditions.

Public Ports

Public ports processed 44.63 million tonnes of cargo in August 2024, reflecting a 9.08% increase over the same period last year.

Among Brazil’s top 10 public ports, Suape showed the highest growth in August, with a 42.03% increase, handling 2.67 million tonnes of cargo.

The Port of Rio de Janeiro followed next with a 29.84% increase, moving 1.25 million tonnes, while the Port of Vila do Conde saw a 15.2% rise, handling 1.59 million tonnes.

Private Terminals

Private terminals, however, recorded a 5.73% decrease in throughput compared to August 2023, driven by a decline in liquid bulk operations. The sector moved 74.74 million tonnes in total.

Among the top 20 private-use terminals (TUPs), the largest year-over-year growth was seen at the Iron Ore Terminal at the Açu Port, which posted a 33.71% increase. This terminal, Brazil’s third-largest private iron ore facility, handled 2.46 million tonnes of cargo in August.

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