Exports of refrigerated cargo and pulp and paper drive results
Cargo handling at TCP, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, totaled 2.911 million tons in the first quarter of 2026, an 8% increase over the 2.685 million tons recorded in 2025. This volume figure accounts only for cargo weight, excluding the weight of the containers.
In a comparison between the first quarters of the two years, exports rose from 1.885 million tons to 2.096 million tons, an 11% increase. The commercial segments that stood out were meat and frozen goods, which grew 15%, surpassing the 903,000-ton mark to reach 1.040 million tons shipped; wood, which remained stable and exported 347,000 tons; and pulp and paper, which jumped 16%, rising from 238,000 tons to 275,000 tons.
Poultry exports rose from 563,000 tons to 649,000 tons, a 15% increase over the previous year. The data, provided by the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Trade (MDIC) and compiled by TCP’s market intelligence team, indicates that the Terminal’s market share of shipments of the product rose from 45% to 49%. The main destinations for the product this year were China (10%), the United Arab Emirates (10%), and South Africa (10%), similar to the performance in 2025, with only a slight difference in the ranking of the second and third largest destinations.
Beef exports, meanwhile, rose from 182,000 tons to 209,000 tons, a 15% increase compared to the first quarter of 2025, while market share in shipments remained stable at 27% in both periods analyzed. In 2025, the three main buyers of the product exported by TCP were China (48%), the United States (10%), and Hong Kong (4%). In 2026, China (43%) and the United States (11%) remain the main destinations, and Russia (8%) has become the third-largest importer.
“TCP is the port terminal with the largest capacity for refrigerated container storage in the country, with 5,280 power outlets, making it the leading partner for Brazil’s meat and frozen food export industries. With 23 regular weekly calls, the Terminal is also Brazil’s largest hub for maritime services, a factor that provides greater flexibility and shipping options for exporters,” comments Rafael Stein, TCP’s institutional and legal superintendent.
For imports, there was a 2% increase in the first quarter, rising from 800,000 tons to 816,000 tons. The highlights were the automotive segment, which primarily supplies industries located in the Curitiba metropolitan area and recorded 131,000 tons unloaded; chemicals, with 130,000 tons; and electronics and machinery, which imported 73,000 tons.
New throughput record
Between January and March 2026, TCP handled the equivalent of 411,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a volume 3% higher than that recorded in the same period of 2025 and setting a new record for operations during the period.
Considering only the handling of full containers, exports grew by 10% and reached 154,000 TEUs shipped, a result 10% higher than the 141,000 TEUs exported in the previous year. Imports, meanwhile, remained stable, with a cumulative volume of 83,000 TEUs between January and March of this year.
In line with export performance, the volume of refrigerated (reefer) containers—such as those used to transport meat and frozen goods—reached 39,252 units, exceeding the 2025 record of 35,809 containers by 10%.
The number of containers that passed through the road access routes to the operations yard (transactions) also set a new record, with 162,000 units handled. The number of ship calls was 244.
In the rail sector, which accesses the operations yard and connects the Terminal to the Ortigueira, Cambé, and Cascavel branch lines in the northern and western regions of the state, TCP recorded the handling of just over 26,000 containers, a stable result compared to the first quarter of the previous year.
Rail traffic is expected to increase by the end of the year with the completion of construction on a third rail line and a new switching yard within the Terminal’s operations yard. The project, made possible in partnership with Brado Logística, calls for the installation of an additional 757 meters of track and an approximate 20% increase in rail capacity, which is strategic for Paraná’s chicken meat and pulp and paper export industries.
Currently, TCP operates two tracks: while one train arrives at the operations yard, the other departs the area, allowing for the loading and unloading of 41 containers at a time. With the new track and switching yard, two trains will be able to operate simultaneously while a third departs, potentially doubling the volume received per arrival to up to 82 units.
About 17% of all full loads exported by TCP arrived at the Terminal via rail.
