Port of Santos Bullish on 2017

By Aiswarya Lakshmi January 6, 2017

In a year of changes and challenges in the national and global scenarios, Companhia Docas do Estado de São Paulo (Codesp) (Santos Port Authority) has developed actions to maintain the position of the Port of Santos as the main port complex in Latin America.

The largest port complex in Latin America, is forecasting to move a record 120.6 million tons of cargo in 2017. CODESP estimates that the cargo movement through the Port of Santos totaled 113.475 million tons in 2016.

The port aims to "not only the largest but the best port to operate", states the Director-president of the company José Alex Oliva.

Port officials estimate exports will increase by 8.2 percent (89,000 million tons) and imports by 1.3 percent (31,596 million tons) this year.

CODESP director Cleveland Lofrano said that the port would benefit from the expected increase of the 2016/2017 grain harvest and sugar production. After a 10.7 percent decline in the previous harvest, 2017 harvest estimates point to a 15.3 percent increase in Brazil’s grain harvest (totaling around 214.8 million tons.