The Port of Paranaguá closed the month of May with 4.39 million tons of cargoes, the highest mark in the history of the fifth month of the year. The brand, which is 4.8% higher than last year, was achieved even with the ten days of the truck drivers being stopped all over Brazil.

The record attests to the increased productivity of the Port of Paranaguá, as well as the modal diversity and storage capacity of the port complex. “We have invested more than R $ 635 million in recent years and we have become a much more agile port,” said Lourenço Fregonese, director of port administration for Paranaguá and Antonina (Appa). “The 21 days we were able to operate normally were enough to ensure a record turnover in the month,” he added.

The Port of Paranaguá also has the second largest static grain storage capacity for export in the country, which helped shipments continue in the period. In all, there is a stock capacity for grains of 1.5 million tons in Paranaguá, which is enough to load more than 20 ships.

The increase in the supply of cargoes by rail was also fundamental for the port to continue operating during the strike. Currently, the participation of the modal is about 30% in the cargo operation in Paranaguá.

According to Fregonese, the result, however, could be even greater. The estimate is that during the strike period, 648 thousand tons of products, including liquids, general cargo, grains, fertilizers and others were no longer handled.

GROWTH – In the accumulated of the year, the numbers are still positive. In total, January to May, the port operated 21.93 million tons, 9% more than in the same period of last year, when 20.12 million tons were handled.

The difference is driven by good performance in soy exports. In 2018 the port shipped almost 1 million tons more than in 2017. The shipment of bran also grew, are about 540 thousand tons more this year.