Investments will be destined to the expansion of areas for refrigerated cargo and purchase of cranes
The Paranaguá Container Terminal (TCP), controlled by China Merchants Port, will start an investment plan of approximately R$ 370 million, which will be applied until the end of 2023. The goal is to increase capacity, both for storage and cargo handling.
Part of the funds will be used to purchase 11 RTG-type cranes, used to transport containers. The investment was already part of the obligations of the concession, but the decision to make the acquisition at this time was due to the tax exemption window opened with the extension of the Reporto, which suspends the collection of federal taxes on imports of equipment in the sector. The BR do Mar law extended the program until the end of 2023.
The company’s goal is to expand its cargo handling capacity by 15%.
The investment plan also foresees a 43% expansion of the area destined to reefer containers, which will reach 5,178 takes. One of the main cargoes for TCP are frozen meats – in 2021 the terminal accounted for 35.4% of the country’s chicken exports.
The yard area will also be expanded by 20,000 m2. This will be possible through the optimization of the terminal’s structures, which currently occupy 480 thousand m2.
The need for expansion arose, in part, from the logistical chaos generated by the pandemic. In late 2019, just before the health crisis, TCP completed investments that expanded its area by 150,000 m2. At the time, the forecast was that this would be enough to meet the demand of the next decades, says Thomas Lima, commercial and institutional director of the company. “With the pandemic, we had our capacity taken right away. All the parameters were changed,” he says.
During the covid-19 crisis, global logistics chains went through a complete disorganization, amid port closures, interruptions in production lines, and delays in the release of cargo. The effects seen since 2020 include terminal congestion, container shortages in the market, and crowded warehouses.
In addition to the pressure generated from the pandemic, handling has grown. In TCP, in 2021, the volume of full containers had an annual growth of 5.9%. The flow followed a high of 2.3% in the first quarter of this year.
In the executive’s evaluation, the perspectives are positive. “The Port of Paranaguá is very focused on agribusiness, which is a growing sector, despite the country’s GDP. The world is consuming more meat, and this tends to boost the movement.”
Lima recognizes that the pandemic continues to impact the operation. The recent lockdowns in China have reduced the number of empty reefer containers coming into the country, which could create a bottleneck for meat exports, which need the equipment. “The exporters have their warehouses full, because slaughtering has not stopped,” he says.
The executive considers that it is complex to make forecasts regarding the normalization of the situation. However, for him, there is an expectation that at the end of this year the flow between Asia and Brazil can normalize, if China does not make more lockdowns.
Source: Valor Econômico
TCP plans to invest R$ 370 million until 2023 | Companies | Valor Econômico (globo.com)
