Port of Santos Hits Historic Record with 141.4 Million Tons
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The Port of Santos, the largest in Latin America, handled 141.4 million tons of cargo between January and September 2026, a 2% increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 138.7 million tons were recorded. This is the largest volume in the port's history for the first nine months of a year.
Containers and exports drive the result
Exports totaled 104.3 million tons, up 1.6%, while imports reached 37.1 million tons, up 2.9%. Containerized general cargo reached 47 million tons, a 3.2% increase, and container throughput reached 4.52 million TEU, up 3.5%, also a record for the period.
Soybeans support bulk cargo, corn and sugar decline
Among solid bulk cargoes, which totaled 71.2 million tons (+0.8%), the soybean complex stood out: exports of grain and meal totaled 42.1 million tons, 8.4% more than in 2025, with bulk soybeans growing 7.4% to 33.4 million tons and soybean meal advancing 12.1% to 8.5 million tons. In contrast, corn fell 32.4% to 5.1 million tons, sugar dropped 2.1% to 16.7 million tons, and pulp declined 11% to 6.5 million tons. Liquid bulk totaled 7.9 million tons, down 5.6%.
Rains affect September
In September, unusual rainfall caused a 6.3% drop in monthly throughput, which totaled 15.5 million tons. Exports fell 7.8% to 11.2 million tons and imports dropped 2.1% to 4.3 million tons. The impact was concentrated in solid bulk cargoes, which fell 13.4%, with corn dropping 41.5% to 1.5 million tons and sugar falling 22.3% to 2.2 million tons, as operations with these cargoes must be suspended during rainfall.
Partial records despite the monthly decline
Despite the overall drop, liquid bulk cargo reached its best historical record for the month of September, with 1.8 million tons (+0.8%), and containers also set a monthly record with 518.6 thousand TEU (+0.6%), equivalent to 5.55 million tons with a 1.7% increase. On the trade front, foreign trade flow through Santos totaled US$140.8 billion between January and September, 27.7% of Brazil's total, with China as the main trading partner, accounting for 30.8% of that trade (US$43.4 billion), and the state of São Paulo as the top contributor, with 50.1% of the total.
