Portos do Paraná is the winner of the 2nd edition of the AAPA LATAM 2026 Legacy Awards in the "Ingeniero Valentín Morán" Port Development category, with the Moegão project. The announcement was made by the entity this Tuesday (27). The trophy presentation ceremony will be held during the AAPA LATAM 2026 Annual Congress, from December 1st to 4th, in Guatemala.
The award recognizes initiatives that drive the growth and modernization of port infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean. In other international awards, Portos do Paraná has also received recognition for sustainability, management, and port-city integration projects.
In 2025, the port authority was recognized at the AAPA Lighthouse Awards – which includes North American countries – in the categories of Excellence in Communication and Public Relations, Excellence in Administrative Practices, and Excellence in Environmental Practices. In 2023, it received recognition in the Special Events category for the Port Race.
"This time, we received the award celebrating and congratulating Portos do Paraná for the development of Moegão, a milestone in global port engineering. This achievement represents the recognition of the work and dedication of the entire team in the pursuit of operational excellence, always with attention to people and the development of the city," says the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia.
The Legacy Award recognizes management initiatives that drive strategic projects for the growth and modernization of port infrastructure in the region.
With an investment exceeding R$ 650 million, Moegão is a structuring project that will centralize the rail unloading of soybeans, corn, and bran at the Port of Paranaguá, with automatic distribution of cargo to the 11 terminals of the East Export Corridor.
The structure is expected to increase the daily rail reception capacity from approximately 550 to up to 900 wagons, an increase of approximately 63%. The system will have the capacity to receive up to 24 million tons of grains and bran per year.
"Moegão was a project developed especially for Paraná. In 2020, the State Government, Portos do Paraná, and our port community began to develop this unique project, considering our characteristics and needs. Now, at the end of 2026, we are delivering this work, which will transform port logistics, especially in the railway segment," adds the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia.
The project also reorganizes internal circulation and reconfigures the railway and road infrastructure in the eastern region of the port. The reduction from 16 to five road-rail interferences is expected to increase safety, reduce stoppages, and decrease the need for maneuvers.
In addition to Portos do Paraná, responsible for the only Brazilian project awarded in this edition, the Administración Nacional de Puertos, from Uruguay, and Terminales Portuarios Euroandinos Paita S.A., from Peru, were also winners of the Legacy Award.
The Uruguayan port authority received the "Agustín Díaz" Sustainable Development Award for the Innovation in Sustainable Port and Maritime Engineering project. The Peruvian terminal was recognized with the "Armando Duarte Peláez" Human Capital Development Award for the TPE – WISTA Peru Mentoring Program for the Development of Female Talent.
Portos do Paraná also submitted the Degraded Areas Recovery Program (PRAD) in the "Agustín Díaz" Sustainable Development category. This category recognizes port initiatives and policies focused on sustainability, with an emphasis on reducing environmental impacts and energy efficiency.
PRAD seeks to recover the vegetation on the banks of the rivers that flow into the Paranaguá estuary. The initiative aims to reduce the input of sediments into navigable areas and, consequently, the need for maintenance dredging to ensure the necessary draft for port operations.
The project includes the recovery of 40 hectares of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) in the municipality of Antonina, on the coast of Paraná. The initiative integrates environmental conservation, food production, income generation, environmental education, and community participation.
The benefits go beyond the directly recovered areas. The recomposition of vegetation contributes to conserving biodiversity, promoting carbon sequestration, and protecting water resources. The reduction of sediment input into rivers can also decrease the need for maintenance dredging, contributing to the efficiency of port operations.
