Handling grew by more than 50% in the last five years after an investment of more than half a billion reais
On Tuesday morning (10), the National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) released the latest update of the Waterway Statistics, which points to TCP, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, as the largest port terminal in southern Brazil in terms of cargo handling. Adding up export, import, and transshipment (transfer of containers between ships) operations, TCP handled the equivalent of 1,535,118 20-foot containers (TEU), a volume 6% higher than the second-ranked terminal.
“TCP plays a key role in Brazilian trade, standing out for the second consecutive year as the largest cargo handling corridor in the Southern Region. This result reflects the market’s confidence in operating through the Terminal and the company’s ability to invest strategically in equipment, infrastructure, technology, and human capital to maintain Paranaguá as a national benchmark in operational efficiency and port management,” says TCP’s institutional and legal superintendent, Rafael Stein Santos.
The results obtained at the Paranaguá Container Terminal come on the heels of a series of investments made over the last five years, during which more than half a billion reais were invested in infrastructure works and the acquisition of new equipment. As a result, container handling has skyrocketed by more than 50%, from around 1.1 million TEUs in 2021 to more than 1.6 million TEUs in 2025.
“In 2026, TCP continues to grow with the announcement of new investments in capacity expansion and decarbonization of operations. In addition, the support of the Port Authority, the Navy, and the Pilotage Service has played a key role in the Terminal’s growth. The recent announcement of the expansion of the operational draft is an achievement that resulted from this partnership and will bring significant benefits to shipowners and all customers who import and export through Paranaguá.”
In November 2025, Portos do Paraná approved the expansion of the operational draft – the maximum depth between the waterline and the lowest part of the vessels – from 12.80 meters to 13.30 meters for container ships, which brought a gain in transport capacity of approximately 400 TEUs per ship. Since the revision, the Paranaguá Container Terminal has already received 11 ships with a draft greater than 12.80 meters.
Currently, the Port of Paranaguá has the largest operational draft among ports in the Southern Region. TCP is also the largest concentrator of maritime services among the country’s port terminals, with a portfolio of 23 fixed weekly calls between long-haul and coastal shipping lines.
Pier, gate, and railroad set new records
TCP achieved a historic record in container operations in 2025 with a total throughput of 1,662,549 TEUs, including export, import, transshipment, and removal operations, up 7% compared to the 1,558,426 TEUs recorded in 2024. This milestone positions TCP as the third largest port terminal in the country and the first in the Southern Region to exceed the 1.6 million TEU mark.
In quay operations, TCP received more than 1,000 ships in a single year for the first time. The number of berthings in 2025 reached 1,019, 3% higher than in 2024.
On the railway branch line, which accesses the terminal’s operations yard and connects Paranaguá to the western and northern regions of Paraná, TCP recorded the arrival of 1,295 trains throughout the year and the handling of more than 103,000 containers, with emphasis on frozen chicken and paper and pulp cargo.
On the road access routes to the Terminal (gate), TCP recorded the passage of more than 597,000 containers transported by trucks, about 10,000 more than in 2024.
Growth in meat and agribusiness exports
TCP’s handling of 1,662,549 TEUs was equivalent to handling 11.5 million tons of cargo (not counting the weight of the containers). Of this total, 8.3 million tons were exported cargo (72%) and 3.2 million tons were imports (38%).
The commercial segments that stood out most in exports throughout the year were meat and frozen foods (3.822 million tons), wood (1.394 million tons), paper and pulp (991,000 tons), and agribusiness (939,000 tons).
In imports, the chemical and petrochemical segment led the way (619,000 tons), followed by automotive (544,000 tons), electronics and machinery (333,000 tons), and construction and infrastructure (233,000 tons).
TCP is Brazil’s largest chicken meat export corridor, accounting for 45% of all shipments from the country in 2025, exporting a total of 2.398 million tons throughout the year. Paraná was the state of origin for 70% of chicken shipments.
Beef exports at TCP grew between 2024 and 2025, from 675,000 tons to 1.034 million tons. As a result, the Paranaguá Container Terminal’s share of beef shipments grew from 23% to 29%.
TCP was also Brazil’s largest export corridor for beans and sesame seeds in 2025, with a market share of over 70% in shipments of each product. Bean exports through the terminal grew 57% in the period compared to the previous year, to 425,000 tons, while sesame exports increased 151%, to 365,000 tons.
