Brazil’s Port of Paranaguá reaches historic record by handling 95,633 TEUs in March

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – March was a positive month for the operations of the Container Terminal of the Port of Paranaguá, as it closed with an all-time record: the best overall container movement in a single month.

In March, 95,633 TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent unit) were imported and exported, representing growth of 24% compared to the same month in 2020 (72,791 TEUs) and was mainly driven by the movement of reefer containers, with 16,475 TEUs in the period (17% of the total).

According to TCP, Paranaguá Container Terminal’s concessionaire, the previous record had been set in November 2020, with 94,406 TEUs. So far this year (January to March), the movement amounts to 259,966 TEUs, a volume 13.7% higher than in the same period of 2020. The target is to exceed 1 million TEUs in 2021.

Cargo movement in March includes both import and export products. Frozen poultry meat, wood, cellulose, frozen products, paper, cardboard and derivatives are some of the items that boosted exports in the reference month. In imports, fertilizers, plastic and its derivatives, machinery, appliances and electrical equipment and organic chemicals stand out.

Meanwhile, the CEO of Portos do Paraná Luiz Fernando Garcia, indicated that “in international trade we have witnessed a delicate moment for the segment; factors such as the lack of containers and the high freight rates in the segment have been detrimental. However, here we are going against the tide. We are growing and the volume of containerized cargo has increased.”

According to the head of the public company, the Paranaguá Container Terminal is one of the largest and most structured in Brazil. “We also gained in efficiency. The investments made here by the private initiative are strong and give security to the cargo to come here,” he says.

“TCP has prepared to break records by investing in infrastructure, equipment, operating systems and people. The qualification of teams, especially commercial, institutional, marketing, operational and technological, is crucial to achieve high levels of productivity and attractiveness. Moreover, focused on the long term, we are re-balancing our strategy so that our goals intersect with the consistent benefits generated throughout the logistics chain. Brands like this are the result of our customers’ trust and recognition,” adds Thomas Lima, the Terminal’s commercial and institutional director.

In addition to the investments, the executive highlights other differentials of TCP. “The company is the only one in Brazil that offers 10 days of free storage on import. In addition, we have a robust infrastructure, we have the largest fleet of outlets for refrigerated containers in Latin America and our integrated logistics solutions (warehouses, container depot and railroad) form a platform capable of generating competitiveness for different sectors,” he says.

The Port of Paranaguá is located in the city of Paranaguá, in the Brazilian state of Paraná. It’s the second largest port of Brazil in tonnage and the third in container shipping.

The Port is one of the main ports of Brazil and Latin America. It is the largest bulk port in Latin America and the third largest container port in Brazil, only surpassed by Itajaí and Santos. It’s the largest port in Brazil for the export of grains. It exports and imports grains, fertilizers, containers, liquids, automobiles, wood, paper, salt, and sugar, among others.

Most foreign ships come from the United States, China, Japan and South Korea.

Source: Mundo Marítimo