Cargo handling at the Port of Santos recorded a 5.4% growth in February compared to the same period in 2019 when the month closed with 10.6 million tons handled, a record for the period. The data were released by the Santos Port Authority (SPA). Landings grew 16.2%, to 3.3 million tons, and shipments increased 1.1%, ending the month at 7.3 million tons. According to SPA, in a note, the result was driven by the movement of containers, where high value-added cargo will be packed, which showed a double-digit increase. “The movement of containers measured in TEU (standard unit of a 20-foot container, in English) jumped 23.3% in February, to 343.8 thousand TEU. Among the cargoes with the greatest participation in the general handling of Porto, the highlight was the pulp shipments, which registered an increase of 43.9% over February 2019, to 410 thousand tons. In the accumulated result for the year, the movement reached 18.9 million tons, 1.1% below the same period last year. Performance was affected by the 5.4% drop in shipments, to 12.5 million tons, reflecting, above all, the decrease in soybean exports – due to the intense and atypical flow registered in the same month of 2019. The Port of Santos responded by the 26.8% (US $ 237.0 billion) movement in Brazilian trade (US $ 883 billion) in February. Exports by Santos totaled US $ 130.8 billion (26.4%) and imports, US $ 106.2 billion (27.3%).
Source: Revista Dinheiro Rural