Record figure represents a slight growth of 1.18% compared to the previous year

Brazilian ports handled 1.32 billion tons of goods throughout 2024, an increase of 1.18% compared to the previous year. The highlight was the public ports, which recorded the highest volume since the beginning of the survey, with a 5.13% increase and a total of 474.4 million tons handled. The data was released by the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq).

To illustrate the progress of operations in public ports: in 2022, 422.2 million tons of goods were loaded or unloaded. In 2023, the volume rose to 451.2 million tons.

Among the top-performing terminals in 2024, the ports of Santos (SP), Itaguaí (RJ), and Paranaguá (PR) stood out, with increases of 2.05%, 8.78%, and 1.65%, respectively. The highest percentage growth among the 20 busiest public ports was recorded by the Port of Salvador (BA), which moved 6.6 million tons of cargo, marking a 41.18% increase.

Regarding containerized cargo, the volume reached a record 153.3 million tons in 2024, representing a 20% increase compared to the same period last year.

Of this total, 105.01 million tons were handled in long-haul shipping, 46.76 million in cabotage, and 1.99 million in inland navigation and port support. In the first six months of the year, container cabotage grew by 30.22% compared to 2023.

For general cargo, the volume reached 65.43 million tons, a growth of 6.66%. Dry bulk cargo totaled 788.5 million tons (-0.25%), while liquid bulk cargo amounted to 313.1 million tons (-3.78%).
Long-haul cargo handling reached 948.17 million tons in the year, cabotage totaled 293.56 million tons, and inland navigation accounted for 75.93 million tons.

Among the most handled cargoes, iron ore represented 30% of all port volume, totaling over 398 million tons. Crude oil accounted for 15.4%, with 230 million tons. Containers ranked third, totaling 153.3 million tons, or 11.6% of the total. Soybeans, petroleum derivatives, and corn followed.

In terms of percentage growth, wheat stood out with a 39.51% increase (9 million tons), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rose by 35.31% (5.29 million tons), and fuels, oils, and mineral products grew by 23.63% (4 million tons).

Private Terminals

Authorized terminals, which maintained stable results compared to 2023, handled 845.98 million tons of cargo. Within this category, the highest volume was registered at the Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal in Maranhão, with 175.98 million tons, marking a 5.68% increase.

Meanwhile, Itapoá Port Terminals in Santa Catarina stood out among the top 20 private-use terminals (TUPs) in percentage growth, with a 16.03% increase, handling 13.6 million tons of cargo.