Aug 05, 2019
Export Records set during Month of July at Port of Paranagua
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The recent efforts to modernize and expand operation at the Public Corridor at the Port of Paranagua in southern Brazil are paying dividends. Port authorities announced last week that during the month of July, the port set records for the number of railcars unloaded, the number of trucks unloaded, and the amount of grain exported.
During the month of July, there were 18,776 railcars carrying soybeans, corn, soybean meal, and sugar unloaded at the port, which was 333 more than the previous record set in May of 2018. On a daily basis during July, there were 605 railcars carrying general cargo and 492 railcars carrying grain unloaded at the port. During the month of July, rail deliveries totaled 925,354 tons of soybeans, corn, soybean meal, and sugar, which was 32,500 tons more than the previous record set in May of 2018.
The Export Corridor also set a record by received 50,900 grain trucks during the month of July, which was 6% more than the previous record. Total grain exports from the Export Corridor during the month of July also set a record at 2.2 million tons. During the month of July, soybeans accounted for 45% of the grain exports and corn accounted for 41%.
The port director attributes these record amounts of exports to an organized, transparent, and cooperative arrangement between the various grain terminals and the port operations. The port authorities hold daily meeting open to the public where they coordinate vessel loading and plan the most efficient use of the logistics at the port.
The Export Corridor is composed of three berths, each with two shiploaders that have a capacity of 1,500 tons per hour. The export corridor complex is composed of nine private grain terminals and both private and public grain storage units.
Port officials have ambitious plans to continue expansion at the port which will allow them in the future to load even the largest grain vessels. They feel these expansion plans are necessary in order to lower the cost of exporting grain in order to stay competitive with new ports coming on line in northern Brazil.