The Terminal handled 14,28% more TEUs in 2022 and received 4.9% more ships than in 2021

Porto Itapoá had the highest growth among the five largest container terminals in Brazil

Porto Itapoá handled 885,822 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) in 2022, representing a growth of 14,28% in relation to what was handled by the Terminal in 2021. As a result, it had the greatest growth among the five largest container terminals in Brazil. The number of ships that passed through Itapoá also grew: there were 555 ships in 2022, a number 4.9% higher than in the previous year. Exports through the Terminal also grew by around 13,25% last year. The data are from the National Waterway Transport Agency (ANTAQ), which does not account for empty containers and transshipments. With these movements added to Antaq data, Porto Itapoá handled 950,512 thousand TEUs in 2022.

For the president of Porto Itapoá, Cássio Schreiner, the numbers consolidate the Northern Santa Catarina Terminal among the Top 5 in Brazil. “We had a very significant evolution in our indicators, mainly due to the effort and commitment of our team and this was noticed by the market”. An important point in this evolution, points out Schreiner, was the transition or migration of customers from other port terminals to Itapoá.

One of the operations that had a great positive impact was the refrigerated cargo segment commonly called reefer. Schreiner explains that the location of Porto Itapoá is quite strategic in this sense: “Paraná and Santa Catarina are great producers of animal protein for export.” 

Last year, exports of this type through Porto Itapoá grew 41% compared to 2021. The cabotage reefer operations (within Brazilian territory) grew by more than 50% in the departure and 47% in the arrival of these cargoes. Currently, the Terminal has 2,892 sockets dedicated to refrigerated containers.

Cabotage as a whole was an important element in the port’s growth, growing by 57% year-on-year. “In 2022, we started to operate with new shiping companies and, consequently, offer new lines to our customers”, analyzes Schreiner. 

Another type of transaction that had a strong increase in demand was break bulk – when the cargo is larger than a container and has to be shipped in a specific way. These operations grew 46% in 2022. “We performed almost three operations per month, on average,” said Schreiner. “Many of them were luxury boats and speedboats, a niche we currently specialize in.” Currently, Porto Itapoá has a team specialized in break bulk operations. 

Last year also marked the record for truck handling at the Terminal, with 386,535 movements at the Gate. The number is about 10% higher than recorded in 2021. The busiest months were March (34,404 movements), July (34,842) and August (35,911), the latter being the highest number recorded so far.

“We invest a lot in infrastructure, operational efficiency and excellence in customer service, which guarantees the differential of our operation,” said Schreiner.

Porto Itapoá conducts a Feasibility Study on Widening the José Alves Road

Porto Itapoá has received the final approval to use an extra 50 thousand m² of space for its operations

Porto Itapoá beats its cross-docking exports record in 2022

Infrastructure

The expansion of the yard at Porto Itapoá has now received permits from IBAMA (the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), the Federal Revenue of Brazil and ANTAQ (the National Waterways Transport Agency) and is free to begin work. It consists of an area of 50,000 square meters that, when added to the Terminal’s existing yard, comes to a total of 300,000 square meters.

The new area has a static capacity of around 7 thousand containers This is not the final extension of the yard, explained Schreiner. “More than 150,000 square meters of additional yard space is already under construction. This will bring us to a total area of 450,000 square meters.” He also added, “By the end, the yard will allow us to operate at double the current container handling numbers”.

Another important event was the conclusion and donation of the executive project for the duplication of the José Alves Municipal Road for the city of Itapoá. The work will be integrated with the duplication of state highways SC-416 and SC-417, which connect the federal highway BR-101 to José Alves road. Altogether, these roads add up to just over 40 kilometers and the state government of Santa Catarina has already earmarked resources for these works. The feasibility studies for the state highways are also nearly complete, and the works are scheduled to begin in 2023.

The improvement of the access channel to Babitonga Bay in also in the works, which will allow the arrival of larger ships with greater cargo capacity. Led by the ports of São Francisco do Sul, the initiative has its first phase forwarded to Ibama, which has already issued the Preliminary License. The works should start in 2023 and will bring benefits to the entire port complex in the bay.

Recognition

Porto Itapoá celebrated some important awards and recognitions, such as winning the gold seal of the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program. The program is run by the Sustainability Studies Center of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (GVCES) in partnership with the Environment Ministry. The gold seal is the highest level and is only awarded after a company demonstrates compliance with all transparency criteria in publishing its emissions data. 

Also, the Terminal was again in the ranking of the “500 Biggest in the South” occupying the 229th overall position and the 48th place among companies from Santa Catarina. With this result, the Terminal climbs three positions in the overall ranking (it was 232nd in 2020) and six positions in the Santa Catarina list. 

Another important achievement was the Supplier Day 2022 Award, promoted by the BMW group to celebrate initiatives committed to Sustainable Mobility and Social Responsibility among its suppliers. 

Finally, the MAIS Program (My Actions Inspire Safety) won the Bronze Award at the Health and Safety Congress in the category “Occupational Health and Safety Communication”- promoted by Proteção magazine.