São Paulo – The Port of Santos cargo volume rose to a record in the first half of the year. Brazil’s main port complex handled 64.5 million tons of cargo, up 5.6% over the same period of last year, when the previous record was set. The data was shown this Thursday (26) by the São Paulo State Docks Company (CODESP), the port’s managing company.
However, in June, the cargo volume registered was below the volume registered in the same month of 2017. There was a 1.7% drop to 10.8 million tons. According to CODESP, there was a lasting impact from the truckers’ strike held at the end of May and beginning of June.
From January to June, cargo loading climbed 4.1% over last year’s first half, while cargo unloading rose 9.6% in the same comparison. The performance mirrors the numbers of the Brazilian trade balance this year, with imports outperforming exports.
The Port of Santos’ share in the country’s trade balance stood at 27.7% in the year’s first half, with a cargo handling worth USD 54.1 billion. The São Paulo state complex accounted for 26.7% of all Brazilian exports, that is, USD 30.2 billion, and for 29.2% of imports with USD 23.9 billion.
According to CODESP, the highlights among products, in volume growth, loaded in the Port of Santos in the first half of the year were maize, wood pulp and citric juices. The company also pointed to the strong performance by the soy complex (beans, bran and oil). In products unloaded at the port, the items that registered the sharpest growth, in volume, were calcium phosphate, caustic soda and ammonia.
Containers
Container throughput surpassed 2 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) in the year’s first six months, up 11.8% over the same period of 2017.
The main destinations for the products exported via the port of Santos were China, United States and Argentina. In absolute numbers, the most exported items were soy complex, crude oil and sugar.
On the other hand, China, United States and Germany were the main source countries of the items arriving at the port, with diesel oil, gear boxes and other auto parts and accessories as the highlights.
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
