Port handling increases 2.4 percent from January to April of this year

Brazilian ports handled 316 million tons in the first four months of 2016

According to the Secretary of Ports from the Ministry of Transports, Ports and Civil Aviation, load handling for exportation and importation in Brazilian ports increased 2.4 percent in the first four months of this year, compared to the same period of the previous year. From January to April, 316 million tons were handled. In the first four months of 2015, this figure was of 308 million tons. The increase is more important if we consider that 2015 was also a year of increase, when the total volume of one billion tons per year was overcome by the first time in the history.

Among public ports, Santos, in the state of São Paulo had a volume of 32.2 million tons from January to April, an increase of 7.4 percent. In the second place comes the terminal of Itaguaí, in Sepetiba, state of Rio de Janeiro, which handled 17.6 million tons, an increase of 2.4 percent.

The port of Paranaguá, in the state of Paraná, the third largest public port of the country handled approximately 14.5 million tons, an increase of 16.2 percent. And the port of Rio Grande, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul got the fourth place with an increase of 9.35 percent, corresponding to a handling of 7.25 million tons in the first four months of the year.

The increase was due mainly to iron ore loading, which increased 5.29 percent from January to April of this year, compared to 2015. The handling of soy beans also stood out with an increase of 30.87 percent, corresponding to 29.63 million tons.

The increase of 145.02 percent in the volume of corn handled for foreign trade was also considerable, reaching 8.11 million tons.

Scenario

According to data from ANTAQ, Brazilian Port System (Organized Ports and Private Port Installations) could handle 1.07 billion tons of gross load (solid and liquid bulk materials, general cargo and containers) in 2015. IPPs represented 65.1 percent of this movement, corresponding to 656 million tons.

Till July, 2016, 180 Private Port Installations will be authorized by the Federal Government.

Since the approval of the Act nº 12815, the Secretary of Ports has already authorized 67 Private Port Installations, including new authorizations and improvement of existing terminals. Total investment foreseen is of R$ 16.2 billion. Other 67 processes are already being analyzed in the SEP/ANTAQ system, corresponding to a total investment of R$ 6.25 billion.

In this scenario, the increase in load handling is distributed as follows: general cargo, 83.66 million tons per year; solid bulk, 155.95 million tons per year; liquid bulk, 23.72 million cubic meters per year; and passengers, 0.5 million per year.