August Port Movement: Santos, Suape, and Aratu-Candeias in Focus

The Ministry of Ports and Airports compiled data from ports in the Southeast, Northeast, and South regions, showing cargo movement recorded in August, considering volumes and main products. Highlights include the Port of Santos (SP), which registered the highest monthly volume of containers; the Port of Suape (PE), with the highest monthly movement ever recorded; and the Port of Aratu-Candeias (BA), which saw a 45.66% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

The analysis also highlights the diversity of port operations during the period, with the movement of solid and liquid bulk, containers, and general cargo. Key products include soybeans, sugar, corn, fertilizers, oil and derivatives, wood, barley, and other raw materials used in various production chains.

Port of Santos (SP)

In August, the Port of Santos handled 16.38 million tons. Among the month's highlights is the soybean complex, which includes bulk and containerized soybeans, as well as bulk and containerized meal, with 3.08 million tons moved. Sugar totaled 2.39 million tons, while corn reached 1.86 million tons.

Container movement reached 538.2 thousand TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), the highest monthly volume recorded, with a 3.9% increase compared to August 2025. From January to August 2026, overall cargo movement totaled 125.9 million tons, a growth of 3.1%.

Port of São Sebastião (SP)

The Port of São Sebastião handled 25.2 thousand tons in August 2026. From January to August, the volume reached 563 thousand tons. The three main cargoes during the period were bulk soda ash, with 183.4 thousand tons; bulk sugar, with 165.2 thousand tons; and bulk malt and barley, with 106.8 thousand tons. Together, these cargoes totaled 455.4 thousand tons.

Port of Suape (PE)

The Port of Suape handled 2.7 million tons in August, the highest monthly volume recorded by the port. Liquid bulk, including oil and derivatives, accounted for 1.98 million tons, equivalent to 72.5% of the total movement for the month. This volume was 61% higher than that recorded in August 2025.

During the same period, 51,658 TEUs in containers were handled, in addition to 146.2 thousand tons of solid bulk and 21.9 thousand tons of loose general cargo.

Port of Recife (PE)

Also on the Pernambuco coast, the Port of Recife handled 51.4 thousand tons in August, with a predominance of solid bulk. Key cargoes include wheat, with 14.1 thousand tons; malt, with 10.5 thousand; sugar, with 8 thousand; and fertilizers, with 5 thousand tons.

Ports of Bahia

The ports managed by Companhia das Docas do Estado da Bahia (Codeba) handled 1.9 million tons of cargo in August 2026, a volume 12.54% higher than that recorded in the same month of 2025. Export-bound cargo grew by 40.27%. From January to August, movement reached 14 million tons.

The August result was mainly driven by the ports of Aratu-Candeias and Salvador. At the Port of Aratu-Candeias, 798.5 thousand tons were handled in the month, a 45.66% increase compared to August 2025. Export-bound movement also grew, with a 235% increase during the period. The terminal primarily serves the petrochemical, steel, and fertilizer sectors, handling solid, liquid, and gaseous bulk, such as ores, fertilizers, and chemical products.

In the Bahian capital, the Port of Salvador handled 666.9 thousand tons in August. Key cargoes include fertilizers and containers. The complex maintains regular foreign trade operations, including a weekly route with China. Between January and August, the terminal handled 5.06 million tons, a volume 14.15% higher than that recorded in the same period of 2025.

The Port of Ilhéus, in southern Bahia, registered a 71.44% growth in cargo movement in August, compared to the same month of 2025. During the period, 35.7 thousand tons destined for export were handled.

Port of Porto Alegre (RS)

The Port of Porto Alegre handled 41.9 thousand tons in August. Barley accounted for 20.2 thousand tons, while fertilizers totaled 21.6 thousand tons. From January to August, movement registered a 7.11% growth compared to the same period last year.

Port of Pelotas (RS)

In August, the Port of Pelotas handled 87.3 thousand tons. Wood logs accounted for the largest volume, with 79.4 thousand tons, followed by soybeans, with 5.9 thousand, and clinker, with 1.9 thousand.

Port of Rio Grande (RS)

The Port of Rio Grande, also considering leased terminals and Private Use Terminals (TUPs), handled 3.90 million tons in August, in addition to 71,527 TEUs. Year-to-date, agricultural grains, flours, meals, and cereals stood out, with 13.07 million tons; raw materials for fertilizers, with 4.30 million tons; and wood pulp and cellulosic material, with 2.60 million.

The Port of Itajaí (SC) handled 407.4 thousand tons in August. From January to August 2026, movement grew by 25% compared to the same period last year, reaching 3.5 million tons. Meanwhile, at the Ports of Paraná, Paranaguá and Antonina, the accumulated movement between January and August of this year reached 46.86 million tons.