The Port of Rio de Janeiro resumed break bulk operations with a coffee load

The operation of a ‘break bulk’ coffee vessel, which took place at the end of April, marked the return of this mode of coffee transport through the Port of Rio de Janeiro, managed by Companhia Docas do Rio de Janeiro (CDRJ). The shipment of 6,500 tons of coffee packed in ‘big bags’ was completed successfully, and the goods were destined for Europe. UNSLOG was the logistics operator who negotiated with the ICTSI Rio container terminal to bring this operation to Rio de Janeiro.

The use of big bags, unlike containers, allows storing each unit individually in the vessel’s hold. “Containerized cargo is currently the logistical standard for transporting cargo. However, breakbulk operations help overcome the container shortage and, consequently, the global rise in prices,” explains Leandro Lima, the Port Management Superintendent of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói.

The coffee sector had not used Breakbulk since the 1980s. Still, with the problem of global container shortages, coffee exporting companies reintroduced the method as a strategy to help stabilize the international logistical flow, resulting in a return to the past in Brazilian ports.

See below the track record of exports of this grain in containers via the Port of Rio de Janeiro from January 2021 to March 2022. The data below was provided by Datamar’s maritime trade intelligence service DataLiner.

Coffee exports in containers via Rio de Janeiro | Jan 2021 – Mar 2022 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Sharing is caring!