Valparaíso Region Ports Handled 4.06 Million Tonnes in August, Down 11.4%
Cubierto por 3 fuentesPublicado
- mundo maritimoChile: Puertos de la Región de Valparaíso movilizaron 4,06 millones de toneladas en agosto, un 11,4% menos
- Portal PortuarioCarga movilizada en puertos de Región de Valparaíso baja 11,4% en agosto
- datamar newsCargo Throughput at Valparaíso Region Ports Falls 11.4% in August
- Portal PortuarioSan Antonio Terminal Internacional registra aumento en movimiento de contenedores vacíos
The ports of the Valparaíso Region, which include Ventanas, Valparaíso and San Antonio, handled a total of 4.06 million tonnes of cargo in August 2026, representing an 11.4% decline compared to the same month of the previous year. Compared to July, volume fell by 0.09 million tonnes, equivalent to a 2.2% drop, according to data from Chile's National Statistics Institute (INE).
Year-to-date total and cargo breakdown
In the January–August 2026 cumulative period, 32.71 million tonnes were handled, a negative variation of 3.4%, representing 1.15 million tonnes less than in the same period of 2025. Outbound cargo totaled 1.33 million tonnes in August, up 2.9%, driven by a 49.4% increase in outbound coastal shipping (cabotage), despite a 6.1% drop in shipments abroad. In contrast, inbound cargo reached 2.67 million tonnes, down 17.8%, explained by a 21.5% decline in inbound shipments from abroad.
Foreign trade by cargo type
Within foreign trade, containerized cargo accounted for 60% of the total, with 2.11 million tonnes and an 11.9% increase compared to August 2025. The remaining cargo types totaled 1.41 million tonnes, or 40% of foreign trade, with a 41% decline. Liquid and gas cargo fell 30.1% to 0.87 million tonnes, dry bulk dropped 56.3% to 0.35 million tonnes, and breakbulk/general cargo decreased 45.3%, reaching 0.19 million tonnes.
Containers and TEUs
Container traffic reached 264,415 TEUs in August, an increase of 16% compared to the same month in 2025, equivalent to 36,529 additional TEUs, driven by an 18% rise in 40-foot containers. However, in the year-to-date period, container volume reached 1,927,439 TEUs, a 0.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2025.
Empty containers in San Antonio
Andrés Albertini, general manager of San Antonio Terminal Internacional (STI), noted that during 2026 there has been an increase in empty container movement at the terminal, attributable to an imbalance between the region's import and export flows. The executive explained that the decline in total cargo volume has been more pronounced in exports, which resulted in greater movement of empty containers, and he projected a “very flat” 2027 in terms of cargo.
