Cargo movement at the Port of Santos registered a new monthly record in August, reaching a total of 12,342,511 tons. After breaking the barrier of 12 million tons, until then the biggest monthly movement in history, seen last July (12,053,697 tons), the new record surpassed it by 2.4% and by 15.8% the result of August of the year past (10,661,252 t).
The accumulated movement also stands out as the biggest mark for the period with 85,440,143 tons, surpassing the previous record by 8.7%, seen in August last year, with emphasis on the increase in containers (28.48 million tons), of 8.4%, soybean complex (19.70 million tons), increase of 10.9%, sugar (13.39 million tons), growth of 4.1%, and corn (5.71 million tons), with increase of 15.8%.
With the calculation, the closure projection for this year rises to 124,936,517 tons, thus consolidating a new annual record, with growth of 9.8% in relation to 2016.
While the monthly movement recorded greater growth in exports, with a total of 9,089,780 tons and 17.4% of variation, the accumulated total showed a greater increase in imports with 23,323,423 tons, 14.1% the largest.
Shipments of corn and the so-called soybean complex, which covers operations with grains and bran, were predominant for the strong performance of exports in the month. With almost 3 million tons exported, corn was the most prominent cargo in this flow, exceeding by 67.7% the figure recorded in August last year. The soybean complex, after the peak of the 2017 harvest, reached almost 900 thousand tons, registering an increase of 43.3% over August 2016. Sugar, the second largest load with 2.16 million tons, fell 9. 8%.
In the accumulated total, where imports registered the greatest growth, the highlights were the discharges of fertilizer, diesel oil and diesel fuel and sulfur. The biggest load was fertilizer with 2.52 million tons and an increase of 28.3%, followed by diesel and gas oil, with 1.59 million tons and an increase of 44.2%. Sulfur reached 1.24 million tons, a significant increase of 44.2%.
Container movement in TEU (20-foot container equivalent units) registered growth of 0.5% in the month, reaching 338,472 TEU, and 5.5% in the accumulated until August, with 2,464,369 TEU.
In the trade balance, Santos continues with isolated leadership, consolidating a total of US$ 68.1 billion in operations with the external market, registering an increase of 9.83% in relation to the accumulated in the same period of 2016, and a share of 27.9% in the Brazilian total. The increase was greater in exports, which rose to US$ 39.6 billion, with an increase of 11.1%. Imports grew by 7.9%, reaching a total of US$ 28.5 billion.
The Port of Santos' main trading partner was China, with US$ 4.42 billion in imported goods and US$ 5.94 billion in exports. The cargoes operated in terms of value in foreign trade were gas oil (diesel oil) – US$ 662 million - in imports, mainly to the United States, and, in exports, soybeans – US$ 5.24 billion -, predominantly to China.
Source: Agrolink
