Portos do Paraná announced this Tuesday (12) a historic milestone: the public company registered more than 60 million tons handled in 2023, the first time it has reached this level in cargo operations in a single year. This was the second record achieved in seven days. The first occurred on November 27th, with the movement of 58.4 million tons, surpassing the 58.3 million tons moved in 2022, which had been the highest number until then.
In total, practically 61 million tons were handled at the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina, the result of continuous growth throughout the year. From January to November, there was a 17% increase in exports compared to 2022 (from 33.3 million tons to 38.8 million tons). Imports remained practically at the same level, from 20.2 million tons in 2023 to 20.7 million by November 2022.
The loads that stood out in this record, in tons, were soybeans (increase of 43%, from 9.6 million tons to 13.7 million tons) and bulk sugar (26% increase, from 3.8 million tons to 4.7 million).
Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior celebrated the unprecedented milestone with an event at Palácio Iguaçu alongside vice-governor Darci Piana, the Secretary of Infrastructure and Logistics, Sandro Alex, and the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia.
According to the governor, the brand exceeded expectations thanks to the good management of Portos do Paraná, recognized as the best in Brazil. “The team’s efficiency meant that we exceeded the target of 60 million loads handled, something that was only expected for the year 2030,” he said.
“Many remember the queues at the Port of Paranaguá, which embarrassed the people of Paraná, but today it is a source of pride, elected the best in the country four times in a row”, he added. “The State’s commitment is to continue investing in efficient logistics, because this helps rural producers, industry, exports from Paraná and other states that use Paraná’s ports”, highlighted the governor.
Luiz Fernando Garcia explained that the ports in Paraná are less than 5 kilometers long for docking ships, which makes the milestones achieved even more significant. “It is no surprise that we are recognized as one of the most efficient ports in the world, handling a large volume of cargo in a reduced space,” he said.
“This was only possible thanks to a lot of logistical intelligence, operational adjustments, adjustments in the timing of truck and train maneuvers, which meant that we achieved 10 million tons more loading and unloading compared to the level when we took over management in 2019”, concluded Garcia.
FUTURE – For next year, the management of Portos do Paraná expects to continue this upward trend. To this end, construction of Moegão will begin in the coming months, a project budgeted at R$592 million, which consists of the implementation of an exclusive railway unloading system for grains and bran. The expectation is for a 63% gain in cargo unloading capacity with the new development completed.
“Even in an extremely rainy year, Portos do Paraná broke its own annual record almost a month in advance and the outlook for the coming years is to improve these numbers even further”, said Sandro Alex.
“The expansion of infrastructure for port access is essential so that we can achieve the new objective, which is to reach 90 million tons handled, and for this we are preparing all modes with the new Moegão, which is the largest port project in Brazil , in addition to the new road concessions”, added the secretary.
Source: Portos do Paraná
