Porto Itapoá finishes the first half of the year with an increase in imports of 40% and container traffic of 11%

The global economy’s recovery after the crisis caused by Covid-19 in 2020 has been stronger than initially forecast and the ports sector has grown at a similar rate. The performance of Porto Itapoá, which is an important link for the supply chains of Brazil with the rest of the world, as well as coastal shipping between ports in other states, has reflected this trend.

As a result, the Terminal recorded a 41.3% increase in imports in the first half of 2021. Almost 70 thousand containers, compared to 48 thousand for the same period in 2020. Exports were less dramatic, but still 8.5% up on the same period for the previous year: almost 50,000 containers in 2021 compared to 45,000 in 2020.

There was a growth of 9.7% in coastal shipping cargo. Over 15 thousand containers in the first half of 2021, compared to just over 13 thousand handled during this period in 2020. In terms of total traffic, Porto Itapoá saw an increase of 11.3%: 238,000 containers in 2021, compared to 214,000 in the first six months of 2020.

Having completing its 10th year in operation in June 2021, Porto Itapoá has already become one of the largest and most important port terminals in Brazil and is considered to be one of the most agile and efficient terminals in Latin America. Its key features are its strategic location on the northern coast of Santa Catarina and its ability to handle the largest ships operating in Brazil. Porto Itapoá is located in one of the most important producing regions in Brazil, and has importers and exporters from a range of different industries.

Around 50% of the cargo handled at Porto Itapoá comes from companies from other states, who recognize the efficiency of the terminal in Santa Catarina, in particular for importing electronics and other items. The rest of the container traffic comes from companies in Santa Catarina, and includes cars and car parts, electric motors, metalwork, white goods and refrigerated exports, in support of the important agricultural industry of Santa Catarina. Another area Porto Itapoá is known for is the handling of BreakBulk cargo, typified by the export of two yachts to the United States.

Its privileged location in Babitonga Bay, provides a safe and straight-forward environment for the large vessels that operate in the country, which are tending to be increasingly common throughout shipping worldwide. Investment has been made into dredging the Babitonga port complex so as to increase the depth of the bay’s access channel by 2022. This work will increase the draft of vessels from 14 meters to 16 meters, which will mean that it can service large vessels of up to 400 meters.

The increasing demand means that Porto Itapoá is already planning the next stage of expansion, which has a budget of BRL 1.5 billion, and should be completed within five years. As a result of this, the annual handling capacity of up to 1.2 million TEUs (container measurement units) will increase to over 2 million TEUs per year.

One of the Terminal’s best features is the customer service and good relationships it has. Porto Itapoá has managed to achieve high customer satisfaction levels and loyalty and has a customer service model that is highly regarded among the major domestic and international companies that operate in Brazil. It centralizes all customer requirements into a single service, which is extremely efficient at resolving users’ requests, whether they are importers, exporters, ship-owners, forwarders or carriers.