Exports through the Eastern Corridor of the Port of Paranaguá (Corex) reached a historic milestone in the first half of 2023, reaching a record volume of 11,100,407 tons handled. This increase represents an impressive increase of 17.8% compared to the same period of the previous year, when 9,420,561 tons were handled. These significant numbers were driven mainly by the increase in grain shipments, especially soybeans, which grew by 22.4% in the period.

Highlight for Productivity:

Luiz Fernando Garcia, CEO of Portos do Paraná, highlights the exemplary productivity performance in grain shipments throughout the semester. He emphasizes that there was a significant increase in the shipment of all Corex products, with special emphasis on soybeans, which represented 58.7% of the total volume exported in the first half of 2023.

Main Exported Grains:

Soybeans led the movement, with a share of 58.7% of the total exported by Corex in the first half of this year. Next come soybean meal, with 23.6% (2,629,108 tons), corn, with 17.2% (1,914,439 tons), and wheat, with 0.2% (30,640 tons).

Increased Movement:

In the month of June alone, Corex handled 2,085,879 tons of grain, representing a significant increase of 20.7% compared to the same month of the previous year, when 1,727,400 tons were shipped for export.

Improvement in Operational Efficiency:

The Eastern Corridor of the Port of Paranaguá showed significant improvements in its operational efficiency. The average docking time at the three berths was reduced from 2.84 days in June last year to 2.35 days in the same period this year. Furthermore, average shipping productivity increased from 817.14 tons/hour to 1,088.67 tons/hour in the same period.

Record Berths:

The success of exports through Corex is attributed to the three exclusive berths responsible for shipments. Among them, berth 213 stood out as the most productive, handling 4,680,465 tons of cargo on 74 ships. The cradles operate interconnected via conveyor belts and are operated by important companies in the sector.

Significant Volumes in the Second Quarter:

The most significant movement volumes were recorded in the second quarter of 2023. Month-to-month growth was notable: January (1,240,560 tons), February (1,530,130 tons), March (1,913,484 tons), April (1,762. 599 tons), May (2,567,755 tons) and June (2,085,879 tons).

New Record:

Corex’s berth 213 achieved a new record in the second half of the year, with a historic shipment of 62,000 tons of soybeans loaded onto the Yiannis B vessel in just 24 hours, operated by Rocha. This feat surpassed the previous record of 57,193 tons, set in 2019.

Contribution to Overall Export Performance:

Exports carried out through the Eastern Corridor contributed to a significant milestone in the first half of 2023. Total movement, adding the two terminals, Paranaguá and Antonina, reached 30,898,006 tons, representing an increase of 6% compared to the same period in 2022, which registered 29,013,459 tons.

Expectations for the Second Semester:

The directors of the public company Portos do Paraná are optimistic about the performance of the second half of the year. The month of June registered the fourth consecutive monthly increase, indicating a promising scenario for the remainder of the year. The positive performance in the first six months of 2023 is an indication of the strength and relevance of the Port of Paranaguá in Brazil’s export scenario.