Historic milestone celebrated at event on the docks
On Thursday afternoon (5), TCP, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, held a ceremony to celebrate the milestone of 20 million TEUs (equivalent to a 20-foot container) handled over its 28-year history.
The event was attended by leaders and employees of TCP and Portos do Paraná during the ceremony to hoist the 20 millionth container. “More than just a number, this result represents the courage and determination of the people who, day after day, contributed to the growth of the Terminal and the entire Port, leaving a legacy of progress and development for Paranaguá. The terminal was created in 1998 as an initiative of businesspeople from Paraná. Today, it is part of one of the largest global container operators in the world, China Merchants Port, which has demonstrated its commitment to the company’s development through investments,” said Rafael Stein Santos, TCP’s institutional and legal superintendent.
TCP was considered, for the second consecutive year, the largest port terminal in southern Brazil, according to data from the National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ). In the last eight years, the Terminal has more than doubled its annual container throughput, from 789,000 TEUs in 2017 to 1.6 million TEUs in 2025.
“This achievement and progress were only possible thanks to the excellent work carried out by our employees, TCP’s continuous investments, and the strengthening of our partnership with the Port Authority, represented here by its president, Luiz Fernando Garcia da Silva, and the support of the Navy and the Paranaguá Pilotage Service. Thank you for being with us on this journey and for promoting an environment conducive to the development of the Port,” explains Santos.
“The partnership between the container terminal and the Port Authority has only generated positive results for the Brazilian economy,” said Luiz Fernando Garcia, CEO of Portos do Paraná.
Cargo handling grows 8% in January
TCP handled the equivalent of 145,592 20-foot containers (TEU) in January 2026, the best result recorded for the month in the historical series and representing an 8% increase compared to 2025 performance.
Adding shipments and arrivals, without considering the weight of the containers, the Terminal handled a total of 1.014 million tons. Exports reached 680,000 tons, up 19% from 567,000 tons in the previous year, while imports grew 9%, from 307,000 tons to 334,000 tons.
The meat and frozen food segment exported 357,000 tons, 45% more than in 2025, when 247,000 tons were shipped. Next came the wood segment, which remained stable with shipments of 105,000 tons, and the paper and pulp segment, which exported 88,000 tons, 30% more than the 67,000 tons in January 2025.
In terms of imports, the highlights were the chemical and petrochemical segments (54,000 tons), automotive (47,000 tons), and electronics (31,000 tons).
The number of containers that passed through the road access routes to the Terminal (gate) was a record high, reaching 56,880 units, an increase of 11% compared to 51,467 units in the previous year. The largest concentrator of weekly maritime services among Brazilian terminals, with 23 lines between long-haul and coastal shipping operations, TCP received 84 ships in January.
According to Carlina Merkle Brown, TCP’s commercial manager for shipowners and market intelligence, “January’s performance is directly related to the conversion of new customers from all regions of the country, who began to move more cargo through Paranaguá, mainly in the meat and frozen food segment, and to the increase in ship transport capacity after the expansion of the operational draft, which allows ships to carry more cargo per trip.”
Since 2024, the operational draft (depth between the waterline and the lowest part of the ship) of the access channel to the Port of Paranaguá has undergone three revisions, increasing from 12.10 meters to 13.30 meters. The 1.20-meter increase in depth represents an increase in capacity of approximately 960 additional full TEUs per ship.
