TCP celebrates 5 years of operations yard expansion ceremony

The company that operates the Paranaguá Container Terminal (TCP) celebrates this Thursday, October 10, the five-year anniversary of the expansion ceremony of its operations yard, which went from 330,000 to 480,000 square meters. The project, which received an investment of R$600 million, was crucial to increasing the terminal’s capacity, resulting in an 80% increase in container storage capacity with the inauguration of Block C – the third stage of the operations yard expansion.

As a comparison, without this mega infrastructure project, TCP would not have handled more than 1.8 million TEUs (equivalent to a 20-foot container) in the period, a volume that exceeds the total handled in 2023.

Felipe de França, TCP’s operations planning manager, comments: “The expansion of the yard positions TCP as a benchmark port terminal in terms of operational and production capacity in South America. With strategic investments in infrastructure, we have been able to anticipate the increase in market demand and have become the number one option for importers and exporters looking for greater reliability when shipping and landing their cargo.”

In addition to expanding the yard, the project included expanding the quay to 1,099 meters, creating the new berth 218 and changing the position of the dolphins, structures exclusively for mooring roll-on/ roll-off ships. Since its inauguration in July 2019, berth 218 has received 1,770 vessels, allowing hundreds of thousands of containers to be shipped in and out.

With more storage area and space for ships to dock, the completion of the expansion works stimulated a new investment package worth R$370 million for infrastructure improvements and the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment to handle containers. The result couldn’t be different: in the last five years, TCP has created 430 new jobs, increasing its workforce by 35% and surpassing the 1,600 employees mark by 2024.

TCP’s human resources and quality manager, Washington Renan Bohnn, points out: “Investing in infrastructure and equipment at the Terminal is also investing in the city, as these invested resources end up creating new jobs inside and outside the port. With more jobs and growth opportunities, more income begins to circulate in the local economy, which generates a virtuous cycle for the whole city of Paranaguá.”

Almost a billion in strategic improvements boost Terminal operations

Over the last five years, TCP’s strategic investment plan has involved a series of initiatives that have transformed the structure and operation of the port, thus ensuring that the Terminal is always ahead of the increase in market demand.

Completed in April this year, the expansion of the reefer area, a space for storing refrigerated containers – the segment with the highest volume of exports within the Terminal – stands out as one of the most significant works. With a 45% increase in plug capacity, from 3,624 to 5,268 plugs, TCP now has the largest refrigerated container yard in South America.

Complementing this progress, TCP inaugurated a power substation last year with the aim of supplying the entire structure of the Terminal, the new plugs in the reefer area, as well as allowing the electrification of the three RTGs (rubber-tyred gantry cranes) that operate on the railroad, this being one of the pilot stages of the Terminal’s decarbonization strategy.

The modernization of the gates also brought greater safety and efficiency to the entry and exit of vehicles, guaranteeing a 200% increase in access flow, from 50 to 150 appointments per hour. Another highlight was the acquisition of 11 new RTGs and 17 new TTs (terminal trucks), expanding the Terminal’s machinery park to 40 RTGs and 69 TTs.

For the coming years, TCP will maintain its path of investment and innovation, further consolidating its importance in the logistics sector and as a transforming agent for the local community.

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