Paranaguá Container Terminal (TCP) Sets Monthly Record with 152,347 TEUs in September

The Paranaguá Container Terminal (TCP), in the Brazilian state of Paraná, reached its highest monthly throughput on record in September 2026, handling 152,347 TEUs. The figure topped the previous record of 148,690 TEUs, set in October 2025, by 2.5%. The month also brought two daily highs: on September 17 the railway serving the operational yard logged 488 container moves, and on September 21 overall throughput reached 10,640 TEUs in a single day.

Between January and September, TCP handled 1.279 million TEUs, up 4% from the 1.228 million recorded in the same period of 2025. Full container export cargo totaled 6.363 million tonnes, a 6% increase year-on-year. The meat and frozen goods segment grew 8% to 2.973 million tonnes, accounting for 47% of all cargo exported through the terminal. Timber and forest products rose 6% to 1.064 million tonnes, while paper and pulp climbed 10% to 824,000 tonnes.

Full container import cargo grew 5% in the January-September period, reaching 2.440 million tonnes. The automotive segment landed 454,000 tonnes, up 7% from the same period in 2025, driven by electric vehicles, auto parts and components bound for industry in the Curitiba metropolitan region. Consumer goods posted the largest percentage increase, up 17%, from 144,000 to 168,000 tonnes.

Rail transport of full container cargo rose 25% in the first nine months of the year, from 964,000 to 1.210 million tonnes, while train arrivals increased 3% to 1,010. The rail line connects Paranaguá with Ortigueira, Cambé and Cascavel, and according to the company accounts for about 19% of the tonnage exported through the terminal. The monthly record was also boosted by transshipment cargo captured amid high occupancy and bar closures at other terminals in the region, as well as greater use of the 13.30-meter operational draft approved in November 2025.

The growth in port throughput led the Paraná State Cargo Transport Companies Union (Setcepar) to call for improvements to road access and greater coordination among terminals, truckers and shippers. Its vice president, Luiz Gustavo Nery, noted that the record opens up opportunities but leaves less room for improvisation, and called for progress on scheduling, sorting yards and timetables among the various players in the chain. According to the Paranaguá municipal government, works worth more than R$500 million are planned for the link between the BR-277 highway and the urban area, with construction expected to begin in late 2026 and continue into 2027.