E-PORTS Port Voyage Column | Santos: “A City of Coffee and Soybeans”

Pedro Álvares Cabral, a Portuguese explorer reached Santos in 1532 and established the first Portuguese trading post. It was once considered a "Port of Death" due to yellow fever, and ships were forbidden to berth here in the 19th century. Officially opened for public use in 1892, Santos is the first modern port in Brazil and the largest port in Latin America, known as the "Kingdom of Coffee and Soybean". Today E-PORTS will share you with some information about Santos.    

The Basic Information about the Port of Santos

The Port of Santos is the largest port in Brazil, located in the city of Santos, the state of São Paulo, Brazil, about 60 kilometers from the central zone of São Paulo. The Port of Santos being the largest port in Latin America and the 39th largest container port in the world, its throughput was 136 million tons in 2023, of which container throughput was 3.83 million TEU, a year-on-year increase of 10.8%. The container throughput for export was 2.48 million TEU and for import was 1.35 million TEU, each growing by 12.1% and 9.3% respectively in comparison with those of the last year based on the data from the Santos Port Authority.     

The modern port facilities in the Port of Santos includes terminals, warehouses, railways, roads, etc. Its pier is about 20 kilometers long and can accommodate about 100 ships all at once. The warehouses in the port of Santos are about 1 million square meters and nearly 2 million tons of goods can be stored here.   

Trade in the Port of Santos

The import and export goods in the Port of Santos are mainly bulk commodities, including coffee, soybeans, oil, ores, etc. Among them, coffee accounts for more than 33% of the global trade value of coffee exported throughout the world.  

The import and export goods in the Port of Santos are mainly as follows:  

Exports: coffee, soybeans, cotton, citrus, sugarcane, steel, machinery, etc.

Imports: petroleum, coal, fertilizers, machinery, automobiles, electronic products, etc.    

Santos plays an important role in driving Brazil’s economy. Now it is building more terminals, warehouses, railways and roads, and trying to provide new business, such as logistics and tourism, to achieve “the 2030 Target”——The throughput in the Port of Santos will reach 200 million tons, of which the container throughput will be 6 million TEU, and the Port of Santos will become one of the largest logistics centers in Brazil.       

The History of Santos

The history of Santos dates back to the 16th century when Portuguese colonists established a trading post here. Officially opened for public use in 1892, it has become a main seaport in Brazil. And what are some famous events in its history since 1892?       

“A Coffee City”

Santos known as “the kingdom of coffee” is an important seaport for exporting Brazilian coffee. Coffee exported from Santos accounted for more than 80% of global coffee exports in the early 20th century, which both improves Brazil’s economy and Santos’s importance in Brazil.       

“A Soybeans City”

Santos has become an important seaport for exporting soybeans in the late 20th century. At present, soybeans exported from Santos account for more than 60% of Brazil’s soybean exports, which not only promotes the development of Brazilian agriculture but also makes Santos an important grain export port in Latin America.  

“An Industrial City”   

Santos is also an important industrial port in Brazil. Nowadays, the industrial production in Santos accounts for over 10% of Brazil's industrial production. This further diversifies the Brazilian economy and makes Santos an important industrial city in Brazil.       

Severe port congestion and sharp drop of bulk carriers are incurred by a drought in the Amazon River in October.

The main grain terminals in Santarém, Brazil, along the Amazon River have suffered the severest drought unseen in the last decades since the second week of October. And the withering drought also makes Manaus’s terminals dryer and hotter. Itacoatiara is also threatened by the extreme drought this month.   

Brazilian Robusta coffee is usually shipped to the northern ports in Brazil where they will export these coffee worldwide. But now, these coffee beans have to be shipped to Santos before they are exported owing to the record-low flows of the Amazon River. Besides, facing port congestion in Santos, plenty of coffee beans and sugar are waiting to be exported, which both increases the cost and time for exporting coffee.   

[E-PORTS SUGGESTIONS] TO AVOID LONG-TERM PORT CONGESTION

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